ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Statistically it was an amazing day in Western New York. We know we blew right through the record with a high temperature of 73 degrees (the old record was 66 degrees set in 2000).  But not only was it a record for the day, but it also tied the record for the warmest day ever recorded for the month of February. So, in many respects the warmth today was “off the charts” considering that temperature records have been kept for over 140 years in Rochester.

The News10NBC First Alert meteorologists have been also tracking the month of February and thus far, 21 out of 27 days have measured an unseasonable warm weather. And, as you know, the entire winter season has been rather warm. Month by month shows December, January, and February having also been well above normal when comparing to the 30 year average.

Believe it or not, we could set another record again on Wednesday. We project that around 11 a.m. on Wednesday the Rochester Airport should be near 65 degrees. But it will not last. You can expect a dramatic change through the afternoon and by the early evening the temperature will plummet to near 29 degrees. If this comes to fruition, this would be a decline of 31 degrees in just eight hours. The concern then turns to the potential for a flash freeze. So how does a flash freeze happen and what are the ingredients? First, rain or wet snow on the roads are necessary with the roads still being above freezing. Second, is the passage of a powerful and well defined cold front. Third, that front has to produce a rapid drop in the temperature in just a couple of hours (while the roads are wet). And obviously, if this happens, the question is how well the roads are treated with salt during the event.