Just How Cold Was Rockford’s Winter?

While it's still cold and it's still snowing, officially what's called the "meteorological winter season" has come to an end. That time period lasts from December 1 through February 28. So (in our best Johnny Carson shout-and-response) just how cold was it?

The National Weather Service has put together an entire list encapsulating "The Historic Winter of 2013-14." Among the findings:

• This was the 3rd coldest winter on record in Rockford (average temp: 14.6)
• This was the 9th snowiest winter on record in Rockford (46.5 inches)

And among the new daily records established during the winter months:

• 0.56 of an inch of rainfall on December 22
• 5 inches of snow on December 22
• Lowest minimum temperature of -18 on January 4
• Lowest minimum temperature of -21 on February 11 (tied for 27th coldest temperature ever recorded in Rockford since 1906)