Treacherous winter storms and heavy snow in the US have caused unusually cold weather, traffic chaos and school closures for over a month. But despite arctic conditions experts are claiming that this winter was the 19th warmest since records began - and in five states it was the warmest. Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Washington all beat previous records, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Scroll down for videos . A snowman stands in front of the Dallas skyline. Heavy snow in the US has caused unusually cold weather, traffic chaos and school closures for over a month - but experts are saying it was the 19th warmest winter on record . They weren't affected by below-average February temperatures due to a mild first half of winter, experts said. The average temperature across the US for winter was 34.3 degrees - more than two degrees higher than normal, Market Watch reported. And the total precipitation was just 6.12 inches - nearly one inch below average. The comments come after weeks of heavy snowfall and traffic chaos - dubbed the 'Siberian Express' - hit the country. Cars and trucks were stranded on Interstate 65 after heavy snow forced traffic to grind to a halt on Thursday . Deep piles of snow were left at the side of roads and on cars in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania . A vehicle was left stuck in the middle of Interstate 24 as drivers wait after being stranded between Eddyville and Cadiz, Kentucky, on Thursday . Traffic backed up for more than 50 miles after Interstate 65 southbound was shut down because of the weather . Maria Barrett poses for a photo in front of her home on Plum Island, Massachusetts, following a recent snow storm . Someone making their way through snow in New York was so unhappy with the weather they decided to draw a face on a car . Ted Walter clears snow from a car in front of his house in Lexington, Kentucky, last week . Buffalo, Chicago and Cleveland all had their coldest February on record. Boston received 64.8 inches of snow in February - the most snow that has ever fallen in a month in the city. But it was not enough to beat the all-time season record of 107.6 inches, set by the 1995 winter. The most snow fell in Lewis County's village of Copenhagen - a whopping 256.2 inches. Thousands of flights in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were cancelled and travelers were forced to sleep at New York's JFK International Airport after icy weather stopped departures. Washington DC resident Ellen Adams (right) sleds with her twin eight-year-old daughters Charlotte (centre) and Kendall (left), on the grounds of the US Capitol in Washington. Washington had declared a snow emergency . Commuters were forced to clear their windshields of snow and ice before trying to make their way to work in New York . Amberlee Fay walks with her West Highland Terrier, Siggy, in the deep snow in Lexington. She said Siggy normally doesn't like snow but since he found a path, from car tracks, he was having fun . A man clears snow from outside a house on Plum Island but even clearing the wheels won't help him get the car out . Clutching an umbrella a man walks through the snow during a winter storm at JFK Plaza, commonly known as Love Park, in Philadelphia . A couple push their pram on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, during a heavy snowstorm . A man braves the ice and jogs through Riverside Park in upper Manhattan, New York, on Thursday . Children sled on the west lawn of the US Capitol during snowfall despite authorities prohibiting it . Snow falls near the grand entrance of Noble Park in Paducah, Kentucky. A storm stretching from northern Texas to southern New England brought unusually cold weather to the East Coast . The cold snap has caused numerous water main breaks and leaks in suburban Washington with 75 broken mains needing repair on one day alone. The Great Lakes froze over and pictures of Lake Michigan freezing were also released. Hundreds of drivers were also stranded after a winter storm hit a freeway between Elizabethtown and Louisville. The 50-mile jam forced Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to declare a state of emergency and authorize the National Guard to help with relief efforts. Many took to social media and Twitter to share their misery and used the hashtag #needrescue. An aerial view of Chicago city shows a frozen Lake Michigan despite little snow on the ground . The US Coast Guard cutter Sturgeon Bay breaks ice in the shipping channel on the Hudson River in February . A trooper inspects damage to a tractor-trailer following an accident in snow in Pennsylvania . But the snow is  retreating rapidly, with more than half the area covered this time a week ago now bare. According to forecasts, the warmth is set to remain for at least the next few days, melting much of the snow across the northern parts of the country. On March 1, 63.4 per cent of the contiguous US was covered in snow, while by March 8 the figure was 30.1 per cent, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Warmer temperatures are due to remain at least as long as Tuesday, which will see some central areas of the US soar to 25 degrees above their regular mid-March average. Alex Sosnowski, a senior meteorologist, said: 'A change in the weather pattern will turn off arctic air invasions to allow the March sun to go to work over much of the central and northeastern United States'.
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Washington all beat previous records . Mild start stopped February temperatures affecting winter average . Weeks of heavy snowfall dubbed the Siberian Express had hit the country . Boston received 64.8 inches of snow in February alone . Warmth set to remain for the next few days, melting much of the snow .