Coldest Outbreak in Over 30 Years Smashes Records in Southern Plains; Some Relief By Next Week

 weather.com meteorologists

Published: February 16, 2021

A prolonged arctic outbreak that is smashing records in the Plains and Midwest may linger into much of the rest of this week before finally easing this weekend into early next week.

This cold saga kicked into gear in the Plains and Midwest during February's first weekend and has now intensified and grown more expansive across the central U.S. in the past few days.

The cold has taken its toll in Texas, where blackouts have left million of homes and businesses without electricity.

Here are some of the preliminary notables from this cold blast.

Tuesday

-Dallas-Fort Worth dropped to minus 2 degrees. That's the coldest temperature there since it hit minus 2 in 1949. It's only 6 degrees shy of the all-time record low of minus 8 degrees set in 1899.

-Oklahoma City recorded its second-coldest temperature on record with a low of minus 14 degrees. Only a minus 17 degree reading in 1899 is colder in the city's weather records.

-Lawton, Oklahoma, set a new all-time record low of minus 12 degrees. Records in the city date back to 1912.

-Fayetteville, Arkansas, set a new all-time record low of minus 20 degrees. Records there date to 1905.

-Tyler, Texas, tied its all-time record low of minus 3 degrees set in 1930.

-Tulsa, Oklahoma, dropped to minus 13 degrees. That matches the coldest reading there since it hit that mark in 1918.

-Shreveport, Louisiana, had its coldest morning since 1930 with a low of 1 degree above zero.

Monday

-San Angelo, Texas, tied its second-coldest all-time record low on Monday morning after dipping to minus 1 degree.

-Houston fell to 16 degrees. That's the coldest temperature there since December 1989. (Note: Tuesday morning was colder at 13 degrees)

-Kansas City International Airport reported a wind chill of minus 32 degrees on Monday morning. That's the lowest wind chill there since Dec. 23, 1989, according to the National Weather Service.

Current Wind Chills

The longevity of this cold snap has also been impressive.

Billings, Montana, finally rose above zero Monday morning for the first time in a week, their longest continuous subzero streak since 1983.

Monday was the tenth day in a row Fargo, North Dakota, didn't rise above zero, their longest such streak since 1996.

Given the ferocity of the cold air, occasionally accompanied by winds, dangerously low wind chills are likely to persist. Limit time outside, and if you need to head outdoors, take precautions to cover your skin.

(MORE: What is the Wind Chill?)

Wind chill alerts have been issued by the National Weather Service for a broad area in the central U.S.

Wind Chill Alerts

A reinforcing blast of cold air behind a second winter storm later this week could set dozens more daily record lows by Friday in the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley.

But there is some hint the ferocity of the cold could finally relent by this weekend into next week.

But it will take some time for sunshine late this week to melt the fresh snowpack from this week's double dose of winter storms.

(MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Forecast Highs and Lows)

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.