Dozens of Record Highs Will Be Broken as Spring Fever Continues This Week

Dozens of record highs were toppled Thursday-Tuesday (Feb. 16-21) in the Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes and East. Monday marked the fourth-consecutive day that daily record highs were set in Chicago. Minneapolis/St. Paul set a daily record high for three consecutive days Friday-Sunday. 

As of midday Wednesday, Madison, Wisconsin set a new record for all-time warmest February temperature when the mercury reached 66 degrees. Green Bay, Wisconsin also set a new record for warmest February temperature when the thermometer climbed to 62 degrees.

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Record Warm Recap (New Records)

Below are a few selected records for each day, with the new record in parentheses.

Tuesday (Feb. 21)

North Platte, Nebraska set a record high of 79 degrees and tied the all-time record high for February.

Daily record high temperatures were set in: Brownsville (91 degrees), Goodland, Kansas (78 degrees), Hastings, Nebraska (77 degrees), Pueblo, Colorado (77 degrees), Jackson, Kentucky (75 degrees), Rapid City, South Dakota (69 degrees), Sioux Falls, South Dakota (68 degrees), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (66 degrees), Aberdeen, South Dakota (64 degrees),  Madison, Wisconsin (62 degrees), Minneapolis (62 degrees), Traverse City, Michigan (59 degrees), Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (58 degrees, old record 47 degrees), Marquette, Michigan (56 degrees) and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (44 degrees). 

Record warm lows were also set Tuesday including: Paducah, Kentucky (56 degrees), St. Louis (55 degrees), Springfield, Illinois (53 degrees), Evansville, Indiana (52 degrees), Indianapolis (50 degrees), South Bend, Indiana (46 degrees), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (45 degrees), Rapid City, South Dakota (43 degrees), Lansing, Michigan (42 degrees), Muskegon, Michigan (41 degrees).

Monday (Feb. 20)

Record warm low temperatures were set on Monday including: St, Louis (52 degrees, tied), La Crosse, Wisconsin (45 degrees), Rapid City, South Dakota (40 degrees), Minneapolis, Minnesota (41 degrees), Marquette, Michigan (32 degrees).

Here are some select cities that set a new daily record high on Monday (new record in parentheses): Chicago (70 degrees), Mobile, Alabama (79 degrees), Jackson, Mississippi (83 degrees), Blacksburg, Virginia (69 degrees), Bluefield, West Virginia (67 degrees), Paducah, Kentucky (75 degrees), Bowling Green, Kentucky (76 degrees), Madison, Wisconsin (62 degrees), and Fargo, North Dakota (54 degrees).

Monday's 70-degree record-high temperature in Chicago was only the fifth time in recorded history the Windy City has reached 70 degrees or higher in February.

Sunday (Feb. 19)

Moline, Illinois, recorded a new all-time February record high on Sunday with a temperature of 74 degrees. The previous February record high was 73 degrees, set on Friday and in 1921.

Philadelphia set a new daily-record high Sunday by reaching 70 degrees. This was the city's first 70-degree temperature in February since 2002.

Daily record highs on Sunday included (new record in parentheses): Jackson, Mississippi (82 degrees), Lake Charles, Louisiana (80 degrees), Springfield, Illinois (71 degrees), Quincy, Illinois (71 degrees), Wilmington, Delaware (71 degrees), Chicago (69 degrees), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (69 degrees), Newark, New Jersey (69 degrees), Allentown, Pennsylvania (68 degrees), Reading, Pennsylvania (68 degrees), JFK Airport (68 degrees), Rockford, Illinois (67 degrees), New York's La Guardia Airport (66 degrees), Scranton, Pennsylvania (65 degrees), Toledo, Ohio (65 degrees), Bridgeport, Connecticut (63 degrees), Grand Rapids, Michigan (62 degrees), Madison, Wisconsin (62 degrees), Poughkeepsie, New York (61 degrees) and Minneapolis (59 degrees).

Saturday (Feb. 18)

Chicago hit 70 degrees on Saturday, marking only the fourth time the temperature there has been 70 or higher in February dating to 1871.

An all-time record February high temperature of 59 degrees was tied in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Saturday, according to Bob Henson of wunderground.com. Records there date back 123 years. International Falls, Minnesota, also tied its February record high of 58 degrees.

Milwaukee maxed out 67 degrees Saturday, which crushed its daily record by 10 degrees and was only one degree away from its all-time February record high. Detroit's high of 69 degrees Saturday was also just one degree shy of the all-time February record in the Motor City.

The following cities set new daily record highs (new record in parentheses): Erie, Pennsylvania (70 degrees); Chicago (70 degrees); Detroit (69 degrees); Cleveland (69 degrees); Milwaukee (67 degrees); Toledo, Ohio (67 degrees); Columbus, Ohio (64 degrees); Toledo, Ohio (60 degrees); Grand Rapids, Michigan (59 degrees); Madison, Wisconsin (58 degrees); Alpena, Michigan (58 degrees); Green Bay, Wisconsin (57 degrees); Marquette, Michigan (54 degrees).

Friday (Feb. 17)

On Friday, numerous new daily record highs were set, including: Topeka, Kansas (77 degrees), Des Moines (75 degrees), Lincoln, Illinois (72 degrees, smashing the old record of 63 degrees), Grand Island, Nebraska (72 degrees), Chicago (67 degrees), Milwaukee (64 degrees, smashing previous record of 55 degrees), and Minneapolis (63 degrees, smashing the old record of 55 degrees). 

Thursday (Feb. 16)

Record highs were set Thursday in Topeka (76 degrees), Denver (75 degrees), Rapid City (72 degrees), Lincoln, Nebraska (72 degrees) and Omaha, Nebraska (67 degrees).

Wednesday (Feb. 15)

A few record highs were also set on Wednesday, including Denver, which reached 67 degrees, and Rapid City, which saw the thermometer top out at 70 degrees.