Think it’s cold now? Coldest temp ever in NJ will shock you 

We just came off a huge winter storm with as much as 17 inches of snow in some spots of the state, along with sleet and bitter temperatures. Kylie Moore and I were doing the afternoon show on Monday when we heard Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow mention the temperature in New Jersey would not get above freezing until well into February. We just looked at each other with a "well, that sucks" look, reading each other’s minds.

As we all hunker down during this long, cold spell in the dead of a New Jersey winter, it definitely isn’t going to feel good. But I came across some information that might make you appreciate it not being worse.

SEE ALSO: Town-by-town list of snowfall totals of the last storm

Coldest day in Jersey's history

If you’re thinking it can’t get much colder than this week, with Saturday overnight temperatures expected in the negatives in some spots, think again. The coldest day in New Jersey’s recorded weather history was back in 1904. It happened on Jan. 5 in River Vale.

The air temperature dropped to 34 degrees below zero. That, by the way, was not even factoring in a "feels like" windchill temperature. That would have made it feel even colder.

It has never gotten that cold anywhere in New Jersey in over 122 years.

Read More: Why persistently cold weather might be good for New Jersey

How it happened

Back in 2019, state climatologist David Robinson explained it to nj.com.

"A deep fresh snow cover, the valley location, adjacent to a pond that was used to make ice, and a generally treeless landscape near the (weather reporting) station all helped contribute to the excessive cold," he said.

Many have doubted over the years that it could ever get that cold in the Garden State but Robinson said it absolutely did. So you’d better believe it when I tell you, things could be worse.