Historical Weather Events

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 21 January

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

...1854...The coldest day of the famous California cold winter was recorded, when the temperature fell to 19 degrees at Sacramento. (Intellicast)
...1863...A severe coastal storm dropped heavy rain on the Fredericksburg area of Virginia. It disrupted a Union Army offensive in an ill famed "mud march". (David Ludlum)
...1982...The second of two major snowstorms to hit southern Minnesota came to an end. Minneapolis received 20 inches of snow in 24 hours to break the previous record of 17 inches in 24 hours established just a few days earlier. A record 38 inches of snow covered the ground following the two storms, with drifts ten feet high. (David Ludlum)
...1983...Record snow fell in western Texas. 16.8 inches fell at Lubbock and this broke the old record of 14.8 inches for snowfall in a single storm. Dalhart measured 15 inches and Plainview was buried under 18 inches. (Intellicast)
...1985...Three days of snow squalls at Buffalo, NY finally came to an end. The squalls, induced by relatively warm water in Lake Erie, produced 34 inches of snow at the International Airport, with up to 47 inches reported in the suburbs of Buffalo. The New York "blizzard of 85" left many counties disaster areas. (19th-21st) (Weather Channel) (Storm Data)
President Reagan was sworn in for a second term in the coldest Inauguration Ceremony of record. Cold and wind resulted in wind chill readings as much as 30 degrees below zero. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
An all-time record low temperature of 7 degrees was set on this day at Jacksonville, FL. The coldest day ever recorded at Macon, GA was recorded on this day when the mercury dropped to 6 degrees below zero. Records began at Macon in 1899. (Intellicast) The all-time record low temperature for North Carolina was set at Mt. Mitchell with a 34 degree below zero reading, while a 19-degree below zero reading at Caesars Head in South Carolina set that state's record low temperature. (National Climatic Data Center)
...1987...Low pressure over Minnesota produced high winds in the Northern Plains Region. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Rapid City, SD, and reached 70 mph at Belle Fourche, SD. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...High pressure over northern Nevada and low pressure off the coast of southern California combined to produce high winds in the southwestern U.S. Wind gusts in the San Francisco area reached 70 mph at Fremont. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Cold and snow prevailed in the northeastern U.S. Up to 13 inches of snow was reported between Woodford and Searsburg in Vermont. Montpelier, VT reported a wind chill reading of 42 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across the state of Florida. Eight cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including West Palm Beach with a reading of 86 degrees. Rain in southern New England changed to freezing rain, then to sleet, and then to heavy snow during the late morning. Most of Massachusetts was blanketed with 6 to 10 inches of snow. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1993...Another strong low-pressure system moved inland on the west coast of the U.S. along the Sierra crest near Lake Tahoe, CA, where sustained winds were measured at 122 mph with a peak gust to 176 mph. Wind gusts reached 80 mph in the Reno, NV area. Thunderstorms with frequent lightning were reported at Blue Canyon, CA and the Sierra Ski Ranch was buried under 21 inches of new snow in 24 hours to raise its snow cover to 163 inches. (Intellicast)
...1994...Record cold continued across the northeastern U.S. All-time record lows were established at the following locations in Pennsylvania: Allentown (15 degrees below zero), Harrisburg (22 degrees below zero), Wilkes-Barre Scranton (21 degrees below zero), and Williamsport (20 degrees below zero). Grafton, NH and Livermore Falls, ME both reported morning lows of 40 degrees below zero. Worcester, MA had its seventh day in a row with a morning low below zero to set a new record for consecutive days below zero. (Intellicast)
...1999...A major tornado outbreak occurred from southwest into central and northeast Arkansas during the afternoon and evening. In the Little Rock Area, 30 tornadoes tracked across 15 counties. Homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in areas like Little Rock, Beebe, McRae, and in areas farther north and east. Eight deaths resulted from the tornadoes with 140 to 150 injuries also reported. (National Weather Service files)