It might have been bitter cold in Swift Current for the past week plus but it wasn't a record-breaking cold snap.

The temperatures in the city plummeted to -28.8 C on the night of February 5 and didn't go above -21.6 C until mid-day on February 15.

Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Dan Kulak said the region recorded nine days consecutively where the temperature fell below -30 C.

"The coldest one looks to be a -34.6 C on the 11th of the month and that is not a record... that is actually number five on the all-time list for the 11th of February, that was the coldest temperature," he said. "The records for this time of year are well deep into the -30s and into the -40 mark."

The record for February 11 was set on 1899 at -39.4 C with 136 years of history for Environment Canada to look back upon. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Swift Current during February was in 1936 at -47.8 C.

According to Kulak, the Polar Vortex can be to blame for creating the harsh frigid conditions for southwestern Saskatchewan and most of the prairies last week.

"In reality, that's a phenomenon that's there all year round most prominently certainly in the winter months," he said. "It does tend to modify the weather patterns, and it did move from its more average position in the Arctic to the prairies last week there. That's what brought the cold air to the prairies and these not quite record-setting temperatures for Swift Current but certainly, across the prairies, there were a number of records that were set, just not in your backyard."

From February 6 to February 13 the average temperature for Swift Current each day was between -27.3 C and -32.7 C. While the seasonal average for this time of year is a daytime high of -4 C and an overnight low of -14 C.