As expected, this was the warmest winter on record in five western states—California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Washington. The National Climatic Data Center's analysis jibes nicely with The Vane's findings that showed a major split between above-average in the West and below-average in the East.

It's about time: winter is finally on its way out and warmer temperatures are just around the corner. We still have another week or two of cold weather to get through in the east, but that's amateur hour compared to the past three months. This winter was like a weird, climatic rap feud between east and west.

The coldest air many places have seen in years (and even decades) will descend upon the eastern U.S. this evening, producing dangerous and record-breaking low temperatures on Thursday and Friday stretching from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast. Lows close to zero will reach as far south as South Carolina.