As meteorological winter drew to a close on March 1, it left behind a bitterly cold legacy—the coldest winter in the United States since 2013-2014, according to meteorologists. Stretching from December to February, winter saw temperatures across the contiguous U.S. average 1.1 degrees below normal, with western Kentucky plunging nearly 7 degrees below average, making it one of the coldest spots on the planet.

Despite the frigid air masses, however, much of the country saw a relative lack of snowfall, with 67% of the U.S. experiencing below-average accumulation.

Unlike astronomical winter, which continues until March 20, meteorological winter is defined by temperature-based seasonal cycles. This winter’s extreme cold was largely driven by an unusually strong Arctic high-pressure system, which pushed the polar vortex deep into the United States. As a result, more than 111 million Americans faced subzero temperatures—the highest number in six years.

The coldest anomalies struck South Dakota and a broad corridor from Illinois and Missouri through Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Deep South, extending into parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Every state in the Lower 48, except for Alaska and Hawaii, experienced below-average temperatures at some point.

One of the most bizarre temperature flips occurred in January, when Anchorage, Alaska, briefly became warmer than parts of Louisiana, just 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

Still, the U.S. was an outlier globally. While 8% of the planet experienced below-average temperatures this winter, a staggering 44% saw above-average warmth, consistent with long-term climate warming trends.

Despite the deep freezes, snowfall was shockingly sparse in many regions. This aligns with seasonal forecasts, which had predicted widespread below-average snowfall.

However, several regions bucked the trend, seeing higher-than-normal snowfall, including eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and parts of the Northeast. Notably, a rare Gulf Coast snowstorm in January delivered a foot of snow to parts of New Orleans, an event virtually unheard of in the region.

By contrast, some of the biggest snowfall deficits were observed in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, New Jersey, and much of New England, where snowfall totals fell far short of seasonal averages.

Among the snowiest locations this winter: The South Sister, a mountain west of Bend, Oregon, recorded a staggering 619 inches of snow—the most in the Western U.S.; In the East, the Tug Hill Plateau near Lowville, New York, topped the snowfall charts with 386 inches.

Notably, all 50 states saw snowfall this winter, underscoring the widespread reach of Arctic outbreaks despite the regional disparities in accumulation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)