![]() Temperature anomaly map for the week of February 14–20, 2021, showing the widespread cold across the Central and Eastern United States. | |
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | February 6, 2021 |
Dissipated | February 22, 2021 |
Cold wave | |
Lowest temperature | −51.9 °C (−61.4 °F) in Wekweètì, Northwest Territories on February 8[1] |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | At least 331[note 1] |
Damage | ≥ $27.575 billion[2][3][4] |
Areas affected | Canada, Central United States, Eastern United States, Northern Mexico |
Part of the 2020–21 North American winter |
The February 2021 North American cold wave was an extreme weather event that brought record low temperatures to a significant portion of Canada, the United States and parts of northern Mexico during the first two-thirds of February 2021. The cold was caused by a southern migration of the polar vortex, likely caused by a sudden stratospheric warming event that occurred the prior month. Temperatures fell as much as 25–50 °F (14–28 °C) below average as far south as the Gulf Coast. Severe winter storms also were associated with the bitter cold, which allowed for heavy snowfall and ice accumulations to places as far south as Houston, Texas, and contributing to one of the snowiest winters ever in some areas in the Deep South.
With the record cold advancing so far south, effects were crippling and widespread. Many regions within the Southern Plains such as Oklahoma and Texas, in addition to Arkansas, broke or nearly reached record-low temperatures not seen in decades or even a century. In Texas, the record cold caused enormous strain on the power grid and froze pipelines, leading millions to lose power and many pipes to burst. At least 278 people were killed directly or indirectly by severe cold,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] and the damages are estimated to exceed $27.575 billion (2021 USD), including at least $26.075 billion in the United States and $1.5 billion in Mexico.[2][3][4]
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