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A map of global temperature anomalies shows the northeastern U.S. is the coldest on Earth, compared to normal.

(Climate Reanalyzer)

New Jersey is one of the most anomalously cold places on the planet this morning, and that seems fitting - it appears all but certain that February 2015 will be one of the coldest months on record.

And, unfortunately, there's no sign of the cold letting up anytime soon.

Led by Walpack at -20 degrees, temperatures fell below zero in many parts of the state this morning for the third time in less than a week as the latest round of Arctic air plunged into the region. Temperatures this morning were, in some cases, more than 30 degrees below normal.

With less than a week left in the month and no warmth in sight, it appears likely that February will become one of the top five coldest months in more than 120 years of records, according to the state climatologist's office.

"We're entering some pretty rarefied air," said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University. "The persistence of the cold has been really impressive. It's just been lock and reload for the past several weeks ... a never ending cascade of cold incursions."

Robinson said the average temperature for February could fall below 22 degrees by month's end, which would slot it in at fourth place on the state's all-time list of coldest months. February of 1934 is far and away the coldest at 17.9 degrees.

The bitter cold is even more unusual when pitted against what's going on elsewhere in the world. A map of global temperature anomalies produced by Climate Re-Analyzer this morning shows that while much of the world is experiencing above normal temperatures, the northeast is far and away the coldest part of the planet when compared to normal.

"We're talking top five not number one, but we're talking about 120 years of data. And the majority of the records in top 10 were set early in the 20th century," Robinson said. "So it's really quite impressive."

An analysis of daily temperatures in New Brunswick (a good center point for N.J.) shows that while January was cold, the bottom really only dropped out in the past several weeks.

Much of the state fell below zero last week as well, with Walpack falling to -17, the coldest mark in New Jersey yet this year. All told, high temperatures in New Brunswick have remained below freezing 21 times thus far this winter, and lows have fallen below 10 degrees 15 times, making this winter even colder than last year's seemingly never ending cold and snow.

It's particularly impressive because average temperatures in New Jersey this time of year hover in the mid 40s for highs and the 20s for lows. The cold has led to portions of the Atlantic Ocean freezing over near the coast.

If this winter seems similar to last year in terms of the cold, it's not coincidence. The state has been stuck in the same overarching weather pattern since the latter half of 2013.

While this primary driver of this is likely the unusually warm temperature of the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America, the consistent cold in the northeast has led to a flurry of discussion about potential causes.

The work of Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University has been getting particular attention. Francis posits that losses in Arctic sea ice could be leading to unusual patterns in the jet stream, or the steering wind currents that dictate the flow of weather systems, and may be one of the reasons the United States has been locked in the same pattern for so long.

But though her early research is extremely promising, even Francis acknowledges it may be another decade before we know the effects of Arctic sea ice loss for sure.

New Jersey has been spared the deluge of snow New England has received thus far this year, but snowfalls rates are also running slightly above average, courtesy of a pair of storms that swept through the region last week.

Spring is on the way, but it could be a while before it feels like it in New Jersey. Long term forecasts show no evidence of the overall pattern breaking well into March.

Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.