You get this kind of variation (away from normal) more often in winter than in summer. But this has been really unusual, to have it this long in the heart of winter.
There really hasn't been much Arctic high pressure up there to come down, and what has come down has been a glancing blow. Even Canada isn't that cold. You have to go way up by Hudson Bay ? and way up in northern Alaska, to find anything well below zero.
It's typical of March. It's by far the warmest January on record.
You can get some really cold air well into February and even March up there. I look at Valentine's Day as kind of the turning point. After that, with more sun, it gets harder for it to stay cold.
