Notable numbers capture the wild weather hitting much of the US this week

CHICAGO — Wild fluctuations in temperatures are being recorded in much of the United States this week, with some cities experiencing a winter weather whiplash in which they are going from record highs to severe storms to snow and freezing temperatures in a matter of days.

And the whiplash does not end there. The dramatic arctic plunge in many locations will be short-lived, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be back above average by the end of the week.

Here’s a look at notable numbers from the recent weather:

78

The number of cities that hit record-high temperatures Monday from International Falls, Minnesota, to the Texas-Mexico border, according to the National Weather Service.

6

Weather service observation sites across the country that had their warmest February day on record Monday.

-9

The anticipated low Wednesday (22 below Celsius) in International Falls, Minnesota, which hit a record high of 53 (11 Celsius) on Monday. That tied the previous record set in 1958. The forecast calls for 7 to 11 inches (17 to 28 centimeters) of snow by the end of Tuesday before temperatures slide.

0

That’s how many of Wisconsin’s 25,000 miles (40,200 kilometers) of snowmobile trails were open Tuesday. Some trails were open for a little over a week in January after a heavy snowfall, but most trails across the state have been closed all season. The lack of snow in northern Wisconsin has hit businesses hard. In Vilas County, home to Eagle River, the self-proclaimed “Snowmobile Capital of the World,” restaurants and others that rely on tourism money are down as much as 50% in business compared with last year, said Collette Sorgel, the county’s tourism and publicity director. “This is definitely not a February we have ever lived through,” Sorgel said.