These 10 Cities had Record Lows Last Week, some Below Zero

By Sam Stebbins  •  March 17, 2026
person in black shirt and black pants standing on gray concrete floor during daytime
Photo by Tómas Rekstad on Unsplash

In the United States, the meteorological spring season begins on March 1st. Spring weather is typically characterized by a gradual warming trend, as across the Lower 48, average monthly temperatures rise from 33.8°F in February, to 41.5°F throughout March, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But in the early days of spring 2026, dozens of communities across the country were confronted with frigid temperatures rarely seen outside of the depths of winter. 

According to NOAA’s Daily Weather Records program, historic lows were either matched or broken 90 times across the country between March 1 and March 7, 2026. Most unseasonably cold weather was reported in Alaska, where local temperatures plunged as low as -50°F in early spring. But even in the continental United States, where winters tend to be shorter and milder than in Alaska, multiple instances of sub-zero temperatures shattering historic daily lows were reported across an area stretching from upper Minnesota to as far east as New England. 

Using data from NOAA’s Daily Weather Records program, Climate Crisis 247 identified the places where early spring brought record-breaking cold in 2026. We ranked all weather stations in the continental U.S. where daily low temperature records were either matched or broken between March 1 and March 7, 2026. Only the 10 places in the Lower 48 reporting the coldest historic temperatures in early March rank on this list. Supplemental data on local daily temperature norms are based on 30-year averages, recorded between 1991 and 2020, as reported by NOAA’s Climate Normals program. 

Among the 10 places on this list, record daily lows during the first week of the 2026 meteorological spring season range from 7°F down to -25°F. In most cases, these temperatures either matched or broke previous record-lows that have stood for decades. Of these 10 places, four are located in Maine, Minnesota, or Vermont – states where average temperatures in March have historically been in the mid- to high-20s. The remaining six places on this list are either in Massachusetts or New York, where the average March temperature throughout the 20th century was in the 30s. 

10. Westfield Barnes Regional Airport; Hampden County, Massachusetts

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: 7°F on March 2, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: 8°F on March 2, 1950
  • Local temperature norms on March 2: 21.4°F daily low, 31.6°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 78 years ago

9. Rochester; Plymouth County, Massachusetts

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: 5°F on March 3, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: 5°F on March 3, 1978
  • Local temperature norms on March 3: 25.0°F daily low, 33.9°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 126 years ago

8. Norton West; Bristol County, Massachusetts

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: 4°F on March 3, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: 4°F on March 3, 1978
  • Local temperature norms on March 3: 23.1°F daily low, 32.8°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 50 years ago
architectural photography of city
Photo by Lance Anderson on Unsplash

7. NWS Boston Norton; Bristol County, Massachusetts

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: 4°F on March 3, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: 7°F on March 3, 2003
  • Local temperature norms on March 3: 23.7°F daily low, 33.1°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 31 years ago

6. Bedford Hanscom Field; Middlesex County, Massachusetts

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: 3°F on March 2, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: 5°F on March 2, 1962
  • Local temperature norms on March 2: 22.5°F daily low, 32.6°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 77 years ago

5. Hollis; York County, Maine

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: -6°F on March 3, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: -6°F on March 3, 2025
  • Local temperature norms on March 3: 14.0°F daily low, 25.4°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 31 years ago

4. South Lincoln; Addison County, Vermont

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: -13°F on March 2, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: -10°F on March 2, 1992
  • Local temperature norms on March 2: 10.3°F daily low, 21.3°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 45 years ago

3. Newcomb; Essex County, New York

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: -19°F on March 2, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: -17°F on March 2, 1988
  • Local temperature norms on March 2: 7.9°F daily low, 20.4°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 41 years ago

2. Island Pond; Essex County, Vermont

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: -23°F on March 2, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: -21°F on March 2, 1992
  • Local temperature norms on March 2: 8.2°F daily low, 19.6°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 35 years ago

1. Brimson 2S; St. Louis County, Minnesota

  • Lowest record-breaking temperature this month: -25°F on March 1, 2026
  • Previous daily record-low: -23°F on March 1, 2014
  • Local temperature norms on March 1: 3.8°F daily low, 16.6°F daily avg. 
  • Local record keeping began: 39 years ago


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