Nation's coldest spots shift to southwest with heat in the north

While the nation’s coldest spots are typically in Wisconsin, Michigan or upstate New York, the unusual weather patterns this month have changed that.

Tuesday, the nation’s lowest temperature was recorded in the Grand Canyon, at 1 degree below zero. That’s not a total anomaly – the great national park posted a national low in March 2011, too. And cold spots are common in New Mexico and Colorado, as well.

But the cold weather typical along the Great Lakes region has been noticeably absent, with daytime highs in the 80s and strings of record-breaking heat.

USA Today keeps an archive of national weather extremes, if you feel like browsing it.