Sea Ice in Long Island Sound During the Coldest Month on Record!

Now that it's March, we can officially declare the month of February 2015 as the coldest month on record in Bridgeport, Connecticut with an average temperature of 19.9 degrees (F)!  Records go back to 1948. 

Climatologically, January is the coldest month of the year. So it is impressive to have the coldest month on record now be in February! 

The NWS reports the highest temperature recorded at Bridgeport in the month of February 2015 was 37 degrees and the lowest was -2 degrees. The month saw 21.5 inches of snow fall with an average snow depth of 11 inches throughout the month (that's a far cry from what Boston saw!) 

I've shared some of the pictures of a frozen Long Island Sound in this post and this post but here are some more photos I haven't shared yet! 

Below is a picture of the American flag at Anchor Beach in Milford, CT. Notice all the sea ice and slush floating in front and around the rock that sticks out into the water. 

Since the cold was so prolonged, every tide cycle added more ice to the rocks along the shore. 

Frozen steps to the beach! The bottom few steps of this staircase that have weathered both Irene and Sandy have accumulated ice during high tides during the month. 

Another stair case to the beach frozen from high water at high tide. Pretty impressive that not even the sun could melt this ice! 

These rocks along the beach have been incased in sea ice, formed at different levels depending on the height of the tide. The combination of ice, tide and rocks made for some very cool patterns. 

Connecticut Coast to See Coldest Month on Record in February 2015

We might not have the record snow of Boston (where season totals just topped 100 inches last night 2/24/15) but down here along the Connecticut coast we're on the brink of having not only the coldest February on record but also the coldest Month on Record!   

Bridgeport, Connecticut is the official coastal weather station for the area. It is located on the eastern edge of Fairfield County and is only a town over from my hometown. National Weather Service climate data for coastal Connecticut is taken at this station. 

One thing to note about this station, where sub-zero temps are actually very hard to attain, is that the weather station sticks out on a small piece of land that juts into Long Island Sound. This has a moderation effect on the stations records since its surrounded on three sides by the warmer waters in the winter and cooler waters in the summer. 

Although this winter, even the waters of Long Island Sound have gotten really cold! Check out these photos I took of sea ice in Long Island Sound. 

So with only a few days left in the month of February, will February 2015 go down as the coldest month on record (aka the coldest month in a hundred years!)? We'll find out in a few days! 

In the meantime, check out the graphic released by the National Weather Service below! 

Long Island Sound or the Arctic? Sea Ice Forming Along Coast

The arctic outbreak continues here in the Northeast, everyday inching closer to being the coldest month on record (that's the coldest month in about 100 years!) for the Connecticut coastline. This February 2015 Arctic Outbreak is certainly one to remember. Every day I go to the beach and the ice just gets thicker and thicker, something I have never personally seen.  Usually winters along the Connecticut coast are a battle zone for the rain/snow line, this year that battlefield is frozen over!  

Once again, here is the flag at Anchor Beach in Milford, Connecticut. Notice the thin layer of ice that surrounds the rock as well as the rest of the water within the photo. 

Here's another view of the flag, along with the frozen over Long Island Sound! Incredible! 

Looking out over Long Island Sound towards Long Island and ice covers the water out or at least 300 yards! 

Another picture looking towards the West Haven, CT coastline from Milford. Ice everywhere!  

Another view from Milford looking towards Long Island, over the extensive ice sheet forming on Long Island Sound. 

To go along with my photos of Long Island Sound Sea Ice, check out these MODIS Satellite images and check out the ice forming on Long Island Sound and up near Cape Cod. 

Now here's an impressive MODIS Satellite image! Delaware Bay is full of ice and so is the Chesapeake Bay! Anymore ice and it will look like the film "The Day After Tomorrow"