Historical Weather Events

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 12 January

From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and Intellicast

...1888...A sharp cold front swept southward from the Dakotas to Texas in just 24 hours spawning a severe blizzard over the Great Plains. More than 200 pioneers perished in the storm. Subzero temperatures and mountainous snowdrifts killed tens of thousands of cattle. (David Ludlum) [Editor's note: This blizzard is the subject of a recent book by David Laskin entitled "The Children's Blizzard", so named since many of the deaths included school children on their way home from school. EJH]
...1912...The morning low temperature of 47 degrees below zero at Washta, IA established a state record for the Hawkeye State. (The Weather Channel) (This record was tied in February 1996 at Elkader).
...1981...The temperature fell to 35 degrees below zero at Chester, MA, setting an all-time record low temperature for the Bay State. (NCDC)
...1982...Freezing temperatures penetrated into south Florida. Vegetables were destroyed as far south as Homestead, where the temperature fell to 29 degrees, and citrus was damaged at Orlando, where the mercury fell to 23 degrees. A low-pressure area on the Gulf spread snow and freezing rain over the central and southern Gulf States. Amounts were generally 5 inches from northern Louisiana into northern Florida. Snow and freezing rain paralyzed Atlanta, GA. (Intellicast)
...1985...A record "snowstorm of the century" struck portions of western and south-central Texas. The palm trees of San Antonio were blanketed with up to thirteen and a half inches of snow, more snow than was ever previously received in an entire winter season. Del Rio measured 5.5 inches, which was also their most snow ever in 24 hours as well as for any season. (Weather Channel) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
...1987...Twenty-seven cities in the Upper Midwest reported new record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 72 degrees at Valentine, NE and 76 degrees at Rapid City, SD set records for the month of January. (National Weather Summary)
...1988...Parts of North Dakota finally got their first snow of the winter season, and it came with a fury as a blizzard raged across the north central U.S. Snowfall totals ranged up to 14 inches at Fargo, ND, winds gusted to 65 mph at Windom, MN, and wind chill readings in North Dakota reached 60 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...A dozen cities in the southeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 70s and 80s. Fort Myers, FL reported a record high of 86 degrees. (National Weather Summary)
...1990...Gale force winds produce squalls with heavy snow in the Great Lakes Region. Totals in northwest Pennsylvania ranged up to eleven inches at Conneautville and Meadville. Barnes Corners, in western New York State, was buried under 27 inches of snow in two days. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1996...The fourth and final in a series of snowstorms to strike the East Coast in only ten days dumped 36 inches of snow at Oakland, PA, 26 inches at Franklin, NY, and 25 inches at Montrose, PA. Another 4 to 6 inches fell in the Washington, DC- Baltimore, MD area. The 10.8 inches at Harrisburg, PA raised its monthly snowfall to 38.8 inches -- the city's snowiest month ever. After this snowfall, many places had over 40 inches of snow on the ground, including Grafton, NH (50 inches), Danville, PA (49 inches), Jaffrey, NH (46 inches), and West Granville, MA (43 inches). Oddly enough, this deep snow cover would be completely eradicated in most areas over the next two weeks from warm temperatures and heavy rains, setting the stage for major flooding. (Intellicast)