This Was Your Coldest Temperature of Winter 2016-17 and When It Occurred

Brian Donegan
Published: March 21,2017
Winter 2016-17 has come to an end, so you may be wondering how low the temperature dropped in your hometown.
Although this past winter was record or near-record warm for many cities in the southern and eastern United States, there were various cold outbreaks that sent temperatures plunging to bitter cold levels at times.
(MORE: Where Winter 2016-17 Ranked as One of the Warmest, Coldest, Wettest or Driest on Record)
Dr. Brian Brettschneider of the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) analyzed data from Nov. 1-March 17 and created the map below, showing in various colors the coldest temperatures recorded during that period.

Lowest temperature in winter 2016-17 (Nov. 1-March 17).
(Brian Brettschneider/Western Regional Climate Center)

Northeast

The cities in the table below all recorded top-10 warmest winters (December-February), including Boston (5th warmest), New York City (6th warmest), Philadelphia (6th warmest) and Washington D.C. (3rd warmest).

	Winter 2016-17 Coldest Temp.	Date of Coldest Temp.
Boston	4 degrees	Dec. 16
New York City	14 degrees	Jan. 9, March 5
Philadelphia	12 degrees	Jan. 9
Washington D.C.	15 degrees	Jan. 8

(MORE: The Two Warmest Februaries on Earth Since 1880 Have Occurred the Past Two Years)

Southeast

The cities in the table below all recorded top-10 warmest winters (December-February), including Jacksonville (9th warmest), Atlanta (3rd warmest), Houston (warmest on record) and New Orleans (3rd warmest).

	Winter 2016-17 Coldest Temp.	Date of Coldest Temp.
Jacksonville	26 degrees	Jan. 8
Atlanta	15 degrees	Jan. 8
Houston	21 degrees	Jan. 7
New Orleans	27 degrees	Jan. 7

(MORE: When the Last Freeze of the Season Typically Occurs)

Midwest

Despite the cities in the table below all dropping well below zero for their coldest winter temperatures, two of them still recorded top-10 warmest winters (December-February), including Minneapolis-St. Paul (9th warmest) and Fargo, North Dakota (9th warmest). Chicago and Kansas City saw above-average winter temperatures, though not quite warm enough to finish in the top 10.

	Winter 2016-17 Coldest Temp.	Date of Coldest Temp.
Chicago	-13 degrees	Dec. 19
Minneapolis	-20 degrees	Dec. 18
Fargo	-22 degrees	Jan. 13
Kansas City	-9 degrees	Dec. 18

(MORE: North Dakota, Idaho at Increased Risk for Floods This Spring)

West

A large swath of the West and, especially, the Northwest saw much-colder-than-average conditions during the winter. Three of the four cities in the table below recorded top-10 coldest winters (December-February), including Seattle (9th coldest), Portland, Oregon (5th coldest), and Missoula, Montana (6th coldest). In Boise, Idaho, this past winter tied as the 12th coldest on record in Idaho's capital city.

	Winter 2016-17 Coldest Temp.	Date of Coldest Temp.
Seattle	20 degrees	Jan. 6
Portland	11 degrees	Jan. 13
Boise	-11 degrees	Jan. 6
Missoula	-19 degrees	Jan. 5

(MORE: Late-Spring Outlook)

Date of the lowest temperature in winter 2016-17 (Nov. 1-March 17).
(Brian Brettschneider/Western Regional Climate Center)

According to Brettschneider's map, a swath of the nation's mid-section, northern New England and eastern New York state generally saw the lowest temperatures in December.
Southern New England through the mid-Atlantic, parts of the Southeast, Gulf Coast and West experienced their coldest temperatures in January.
South Florida, portions of eastern Georgia, western New York, central Pennsylvania, northern Michigan and California's Sierra Nevada saw winter's lowest temperatures in February.
(MORE: When Is the Coldest Time of the Year?)
Much of Alaska experienced its coldest temperatures in mid-to-late January, but some areas near the coast in south-central and southeast Alaska didn't hit the lowest temperatures until February.
Brettschneider told weather.com that only one U.S. weather station, so far, set its coldest winter temperature after March 17. Morrisville, Vermont, plunged to -11 degrees on March 18, after Winter Storm Stella.