Near-record cold low temperatures Wednesday morning have many in the tri-state area wondering where did this cold air come from?

The answer requires a long field trip, nearly 2,500 miles away from New York City - up to Victoria Island, Canada.

Just five days ago, our cool air was located not far away from the polar ice caps.

NOAA has a unique model known as the "HYSPLIT" model that tracks individual air parcels, and the air's journey to reach the final destination. When looking at New York City's Central Park using the HYSPLIT model, the colder air experienced Wednesday was located over northern Canada five days ago.

This major cooldown across the tri-state area is not normal and is approximately 45 days earlier than it typically should be - in early October. Low temperatures Wednesday morning were in the 40s and 50s across the area, including 57 degrees at Central Park, just three degrees shy of the record low. Temperatures were as low as 43 degrees in Liberty in the Hudson Valley; and 46 degrees in Westhampton in eastern Long Island.

Another chilly night is ahead Wednesday night before a major rollercoaster ride up with temperatures into this weekend.

Stay with the Storm Watch Team as hot and humid weather makes a big comeback.