Why this February seems so much colder

Without question, February 2025 has been a cold one thus far. The low this morning in Milwaukee dropped to -8 and the wind chill at one point was -28°! Now that's not record-setting and it's nothing unheard of for February.

However, compared to the past couple of years, this February has already been much colder. Last year, the lowest temperature through the entire month was just 11° (that's eleven ABOVE zero).

When we take all of the highs and all of the lows so far this month and average them together, we get 23.4° (the average overall temperature). That's the coldest it has been since 2021--and that February was a brutal one.

Digging deeper, there has only been one day this month with a high above 40° (that was back on the 2nd). By this time last year? Nine days with a high of 40° or better. That includes one day with a high of 74°, which happened on the 27th.

Sticking with the topic of 40s in February, here's a look at past five years showing the total number of days with highs 40° or higher:

The reason this February seems colder is simply due to the fact we have been somewhat spoiled over the past few years. It's been about four years since we've had a true Wisconsin February (cold and snowy).

Now, as we close out the month, it appears temperatures will finally climb out of the freezer. We're expecting the 40s to make a return by this time next week. So if you've had it with the cold, hang in there a bit longer...improvements are coming!