The highest and lowest temperatures in the United States' lower 48 were separated by a shocking 152 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
On the same day that temperatures soared to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Dundee, Florida, they plummeted to negative 62 degrees at Peter Sinks in Utah. While negative 62 is cold, it's a few degrees higher than the record low in Utah – negative 69.3 in the same Peter Sinks area in 1985. The record low for the lower 48 is negative 69.7 degrees, recorded in 1954 at Rogers Pass, Montana.
Cold temperatures are common at Peter Sinks during winter, with it frequently being the coldest place in the continental United States. It's a natural limestone sinkhole that's about half a mile wide in diameter. With no valley outlet, cold air gets trapped in the geological feature.
Meanwhile, the temperature also reached a very cold negative 42 degrees in the area of Craig, Colorado, breaking a record for that site of negative 26 degrees (2002), according to a spokesperson of the National Weather Service.
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