Carol Dee
Garden Master
We are having pretty much the same weather as you. A long COLD stretch! Spring can not come soon enough this year.I've noticed that in my local forecasts. More often than not, the temperatures & conditions they predict are worse than what we actually experience. That could be the result of an intentional "fudge factor" to make the weather look better than expected, thereby making the forecaster look good. It's better to give the worst-case scenario - and let the viewers be pleasantly surprised - than to under-estimate the severity of those conditions & be blamed for the consequences.
Or, it could be that they are just predicting the worst possible conditions for the broadcast area. Those conditions can vary widely. I know that if I look up my forecast by zip code, it returns the results for the local metro area, which is close to the lake; cooler in summer, and 1-2 degrees warmer in winter. By the same token, the temperature in my rural garden - surrounded by mostly open space - is a few degrees cooler (or a few degrees warmer in Summer). My suburban gardens generally escape the first frost in the rural garden, and often the frost which strikes my home doesn't make it to DD's home, a couple blocks from the lake. For all intents & purposes, the city, my suburban home, and my rural garden are in 3 different climate zones - all within an area 10 miles wide.
We've already had 5 straight days of sub-zero nights, with another 5 days of that to go (and a really cold upcoming weekend).