SIGN OF THE SEASON

A barge cuts through ice on the Ohio River Monday as it passes under the West End Bridge beside the North Shore. Read more about freezing temperatures on

Among the interesting weather-related factoids tweeted out by the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office Monday: that on New Year’s Day 1892, dandelions were in bloom in area parks owing to unseasonably balmy temperatures that winter.

Needless to say, it wasn’t quite warm enough for dandelions this year as 2018 started with a biting low temperature of 3 degrees below zero at Pittsburgh International Airport — four degrees shy of the day’s record set in 1968, according to Bill Modzelewski of the National Weather Service.

Mr. Modzelewski said that temperatures in Pittsburgh have not been above freezing since Christmas afternoon, and that the region is on pace for the second-longest streak of high temperatures below 20 degrees. It is the coldest stretch of weather here since 1989.

Additionally, the oneweek period between Christmas and New Year’s was the third-coldest on record since 1875, with only 1983 and 1935 as colder. The high temperature during that the past week was 19 degrees on Dec. 26.

The current forecast calls for “little change” in the blistering cold with temperatures likely to stay below freezing all week.

Tuesday’s high will be 15 degrees with a low of 6. Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week with an anticipated high of 24 degrees, however overnight temperatures will be in the single digits with sub-zero wind chills. It is not expected to be above freezing again until Monday.