If it’s felt colder than usual lately, the numbers back it up. According to the National Weather Service, the Akron-Canton region set back-to-back record low temperatures late last week as an arctic blast tightened its grip on northeast Ohio.
Early Saturday morning, temperatures at Akron-Canton Airport plunged to minus 9 degrees, breaking the previous record low of minus 5, which had stood since 1948.Just one day earlier, the region also set a new record when temperatures dropped to minus 7 degrees, surpassing the old record of minus 6, set in 1965.
Meteorologist Mark Johnson said Wooster dropped to a brutal negative 22 on Jan. 31, their second coldest reading ever. The coldest Ohio temperature ever was minus 38 from Perry County in 1899.
The National Weather Service says prolonged arctic air, clear overnight skies, and fresh snow cover all contributed to the extreme cold, allowing temperatures to fall rapidly after sunset.
Forecasters say while temperatures are expected to gradually moderate, winter conditions remain firmly in place across the region, with residents urged to continue taking cold-weather precautions.
