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JanuaryWeather Events: Canada | United States | World![]() Quote of the Month
Significant Weather EventsCanada1 January 1885, Regina, Saskatchewan: Regina residents ring in the New Year with a record cold temperature of -50° C (-58° F). 1 January 2009, The Maritimes: A strong blizzard which began on New Years Eve continues to hit The Maritimes. The storm is characterized by. very low barometer readings: Sable Island, Nova Scotia,.966 mb (28.54 inches Hg); Sidney, Nova Scotia, 970 mb.(28.65 inches Hg) and strong winds. One gust in Halifax Harbour reached 137 km/h (85 mph). Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island was buried by 49 cm (19.3 inches) of snow while Yarmouth Airport, Nova Scotia received 40 cm (16 inches) of snow; Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, 36 cm 14 inches). 1 January 2011, Ontario: New Year's Day brings the warmest January 1 on record to many cities across Ontario. Toronto hits 11.8° C (53° F) while Goderich basks at 12.1° C (54° F). Eight communities in Northern Ontario shatter old high temperature marks lead by North Bay at 7.2° C (45° F). 1-5 January 1965, Cartwright, Newfoundland: New Year begins with five day snowstorm that dumps a total of 182 cm (71.7 inches) of snow on the town. 2 January 1872, Toronto, Ontario: Observers in Kingston, Port Dover and Port Stanley telegraph the first weather reports to the Toronto Observatory, the headquarters of Canada's newly formed weather service. 2 January 2007, Rogers Pass, British Columbia: The treacherous Rogers Pass receives more than 70 centimetres (28 inches) of snow fall in less than 24 hours. Several hundred motorists are stranded on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Banff, Alberta after heavy snowfall sets off avalanches rumbling through the mountain pass. 2-12 January 1999, Toronto, Ontario: Heavy snows begin to fall just into New Year. Two weeks later a total of 113 cm (44.5 inches) of snow bury the City. Mayor calls in the military to help in snow removal. Snow-clearing costs $70 million. 3 January 1913, Calgary, Alberta: With 25.4 mm (1 inch) accumulated, Calgary records its wettest January day. 1-3 January 2010, Mount Brydges, Ontario: A major lake-effect snow event drops 88 cm (34 inches) on Mount Brydges, in southwestern Ontario. 4 January 1965, Prince Rupert, British Columbia: Prince Rupert's coldest day dawns with temperature at -24.4° C (-12° F). 4 January 2012, Calgary, Alberta: Calgarians see the afternoon temperature soar to a record 15.3° C (59.5° F) as warm Pacific air flows across Alberta. 5 January 1956, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick: An ice storm covers parts of these Maritime Provinces leaving hundreds of people without power and water. 5-10 January 1998, Montreal, Quebec and surrounding area: Ice storm devistates Montreal and surrounding region. During the period, freezing rain or drizzle reported for more than 80 hours deposits up to 60 to 80 mm (2.4 to 3.1 inches) of ice, leaving 4 million people in the dark. An estimated 130 major transmission towers and 30,000 wooden utility poles brought down by weight of the ice. 6 January 1966, Pincher Creek, Alberta: A chinook wind sends the temperature soaring 21 C° (37.8 F°) in four minutes. 6-7 January 2001, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: In the largest snowstorm in six years, Charlottetown struggles under 43 cm (17 inches) of snow blown intohuge drifts on nor'easters gusting to over 70 km/h (44 mph). 7 January 2003, Calgary, Alberta: Calgary's temperature was a stunning 17.6°C (63.7° F) - the hottest January day in the city's history. 7 January 2005, Victoria, British Columbia: Greater Victoria accumulates 23.4 cm (9.2 inches) of snow causing traffic woes across the city. (One errant driver takes out a power pole that cuts electricity to my neighbourhood for six hours.) Over the week, Victoria gets over 46 cm (18 inches) which is nearly the city's annual snow accumulation: 48 cm (18.9 inches). 8 January 1979, Halifax, Nova Scotia: A mild day in Halifax as the airport record a temperature of 13.5°C (56.3° F), the warmest January day on record. 9 January 1899, Norway House, Manitoba: 1899 Temperature plummets to -52.8°C (-63° F) for coldest day ever recorded in Manitoba. 10 January 1982, Sudbury, Ontario: Low temperature drop to -39.3° C.(-38.7° F) at Sudbury, its coldest night on record. 11 January 1911, Fort Vermillion, Alberta: Alberta's coldest day on record: -61.1° C.(-78° F). 12 January 1987, Moncton, New Brunswick: A strong winter storm brings heavy snow and strong winds to New Brunswick, burying Moncton with 52 cm (20.5 inches) of snow . 13 January 1975, Pelly Bay, Northwest Territories: Temperature of -51° C (-60° F) and wind speed of 56 km/hr (35 mph) produce a windchill temperature of -92° C.(-133.6° F). 13 January 2009, Manitoba: Arctic air sweeps across the Prairies with wind chills in the -40s across mucg of Manitoba. Winnipeg's air temperature of -35.9°C (-32.6°F) in the morning is only a few tenths of a degree off the record for the date set in 1970. The coldest spot in Manitoba, however, is Sprague, about 170 kilometres (106 miles) southeast of Winnipeg. The community shivers -43 °C (-45.4°F).. 14 January 2004, Quebec: Temperatures plunges to -31.1°C (-35.1°F) at Quebec City, and -33.2°C (-36.2°F) at Saguenay. Hydro-Quebec records a new high for power use: 35,137 megawatts. 14 January 2012, Richmond, British Columbia: A funnel cloud is spotted around 5 pm. The whirl dissipates after about 45 minutes, never having touched the ground. 14-18 January 1974, Kitimat, British Columbia: Canada's record five-day snowfall buries Kitimat under 246.2 cm (97 inches) of snow. 15 January 2006, Vancouver, British Columbia: Though it did rain in the Greater Vancouver area, the official weather station at the airport recorded no measurable precipitation, ending a 27 day string of wet days, one day short of the all-time record for consecutive rainy days. 16 January 1935, Vancouver, British Columbia: A rare thundersnow event: as lightning rages overhead, 25 cm (10 inches) of snow falls on part of the city. 17 January 2005, Toronto, Ontario: A breath of Spring in the middle of Winter as Toronto's temperature soars to 18°C (64°F), the highest January temperature recorded here since records began in 1840. 17-18 January 2005, Vancouver Island, British Columbia: The west coast community of Tofino breaks it daily rainfall record with 96.8 mm (3.81 inches) of rain fell on January 17, then breaks it again the next day with a phenomenal 197.2 mm (7.76 inches). Down the coast, Port Renfrew is even wetter as it receives a two-day total of 342 mm (13.46 inches) . 18 January 2006, Saint John River, New Brunswick: A massive 6 km-long ice jam causes water levels to rise on the Saint John River threatening the world's longest covered bridge — the 105-year-old wooden crossing at Hartland. Rising water levels threaten to lift the 373 metre-long bridge off its piers. 19 January 1935, Vancouver, British Columbia: One of the city's worst winter storms dumps 40 cm (15.7 inches) of snow. Strong winds blow the snow into 2 m (6.6 ft) drifts. The snow is followed over the next four days with 267 mm (10.5 inches) of rain and freezing rain. 19 January 1994, Yellowknife, NWT: Yellowknife shivers through the last of a record 20 consecutive days when the minimum temperature was less than or equal to -37°C (34.6°F) 19 January 2005, British Columbia: A Pineapple Express brings balmy weather to southwestern BC. Abbotsford soars to 18.1°C (64.6°F), the highest January temperature recorded anywhere in the province since 1899. Victoria shatters its warmest-ever January reading with a 16.1°C (61°F) reading. 19 January 2005, North Vancouver, British Columbia: Three days of heavy rain trigger a mudslide that killed one and forced the evacuation of many residents. Rainfall at Vancouver International Airport over the preceding three days exceeded 130 mm (5.2 inches). 20 January 1977, St. Anthony, Newfoundland: Barometers drop to 94.02 kPa, (940.2 mb), the lowest sea level pressure ever recorded in Canada. 21 January 2001, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Winter storm leaves Halifax with a record 47.5 cm (18.7 inches) snowfall. 22 January 2011, Winnipeg Manitoba: Temperature falls to -35° C.(-31° F). 23 January 2008, Northern Ontario: Heavy snow causes near zero visibility and treacherous driving across Northern Ontario with numerous multi-vehicle collisions reported. Hazardous driving conditions closed the Trans-Canada Highway between Batchawana Bay and Wawa in northern Ontario. About 15 centimetres of snow per hour was falling on the highway north of Sault Ste. Marie. 23 January 1935, Iroquois Falls, Ontario: Temperature falls below to -58.3° C.(-72.9° F) Ontario's coldest day on record. 23-24 January 2005, Nova Scotia: A mammoth snowstorm buries Greenwood with 64 cm (25.2 inches) of new snow, nearly doubling its previous single-day January record. Yarmouth's 59 cm (23.2 inches) sets its single-day January record. The blizzard closes the ski slopes. The total snowfall for the week totals 139 cm (54.7 inches) at Greenwood, 111 cm (43.7 inches) at Yarmouth. 24 January 1881, Pictou, Nova Scotia: Freezing rain over three days coats trees, fences, telegraph wires and buildings. Lumberjacks stick close to camp for fear of falling trees and branches. 24 January-2 February 1966, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Temperature falls below -18° C.(0° F) on the 24th and remain below this temperature for 26 consecutive days. 25 January 1950, Toronto, Ontario: Mercury peaks at 16.7°C (62.1°F) the highest temperature recorded on this date. 26 January 1884, Kilmahumaig, Prince Edward Island: The coldest day on PEI as thermometer descends to -37.2° C (-35° F) at Kilmahumaig. 27 January 2008,Vancouver, British Columbia: While Vancouverites enjoy sun-soaked day, residents in outlying areas are hit by a blizzard that causes traffic delays and numerous accidents. Coquitlam measures the most snow, about 20 cm (8 inches); other areas receive up to 10 cm (4 inches). Besides Coquitlam, areas hit by the storm included Burnaby, Delta, New Westminster, and part of the North Shore. 27-28 January 2012,Nova Scotia: A winter storm system brings mixed precipitation to Nova Scotia, starting as snow and then shifting through ice pellets and freezing rain to rain. Yarmouth sees 49 mm (1.93 inches) of precipitation and Shearwater 39 mm (1.54 inches). 28 January 1989, Pelly Bay, Northwest Territories: Temperature falls to -51° C (-60° F). With a strong wind blowing, the wind chill equivalent temperature (old scale) reached -91°C (-132° F). 28 January 2004, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Temperature drops to -45° C (-49° F), the coldest in 33 years. 29 January 2004, Key Lake, Saskatchewan: Temperature at Key Lake (some 570 km north of Saskatoon) plummets to -52.6° C (-62.7° F), making it the coldest place on Earth that day. 29 January 2008, Uranium City, Saskatchewan: Uranium City in northern Saskatchewan wins the distinction of being the coldest place in North America and possibly the entire planet at -59° C (-74.2° F). 30 January 1954, Liverpool, Nova Scotia: Heavy hail, lightning and a rare tornado strike the White Point Beach area of Liverpool. Debris is strewn over a distance of one kilometre (0.625 miles). 30 January 2003, Peterborough, Ontario: Temperature falls to -30° C.(-22° F) in which was two C° (3.6 F°) below the previous records for this date. Several other southern Ontario cities also report record lows. 31 January 1947, Smith Falls, British Columbia: Temperature falls to a frigid -58.9 ° C (-74° F), reading is all-time Provincial low. 31 January 2006, Vancouver, British Columbia: How's your rain wrinkle? Vancouverites drip through their 29th day of rain this month, all but continuous since 19 December, breaking the record for the wettest month by two days. The city also established a new rainfall total record of 283.6 millimetres (1.16 inches), 1.8 mm (0.07 inches)higher than the old record set in 1992.
United States1 January 1864, Midwestern States: The most bitterly cold New Year's Day to date hits the Midwest with snow, gales and severe cold. Afternoon highs reach only minus 16° F (-26.7° C) at Chicago, Illinois and minus 25° F (-31.7° C) at Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1 January 2004, Sierra Mountains, California: Heavy snow derails a passenger car on the California Zephyr 40 miles (65 km) west of Truckee. The westbound Amtrak train is detained for 14 hours by the weather and accident, stranding 300 people. 2 January 1961, Haleakela Summit, Hawaii: With a low temperature of 14° F (-10.0° C) atop Haleakela Summit, Hawaii establishs its coldest temperature of record. 2 January 2006, Montgomery, Christian and Shelby Counties, Illinois: A microburst from a severe thunderstorm likely killed more than 35 snow geese found in farm fields southeast of Springfield. The medical examiner reports lesions observed in the dead birds are consistent with injury to birds falling from the sky — causing ruptured internal organs and internal bleeding. 2 January 2010, Sioux Falls, South Dakota: The morning temperature drops to a numbing 30 below ° F (-34° C) , the coldest temperature recorded since 1974 2-3 January 2010, Burlington, Vermont: A New England blizzard dumps 32.9 inches (83.6 cm) of snow on Burlington, the city's all-time biggest snowstorm in 120 years of recordkeeping in the city. 3 January 1777, New Jersey: An overnight freeze enables George Washington and his troops to flank the British at Trenton, cross their lines at Princeton, and seek security in the hills of northern New Jersey. 3 January 1961, Northern Idaho: A three-day long icestorm over northern Idaho which produces an accumulation of ice 8 inches (20 cm) thick on power and phone lines, a US record. 3 January 2005, Las Vegas, Nevada: Bet on it! A record daily rainfall for January of 0.81 inches (206 mm) falls at McCarran International Airport. 4 January 2003, Des Moines, Iowa: A record dry spell –53-days long – ends in Des Moines. 5 January 1904, Northeast US: The Northeastern shivers through bitterly cold temperatures. Morning lows of -42° F (-41.1° C) at Smethport PA and -34° F (-36.7° C) at River Vale NJ establish state records. 5 January 1993, Maui, Hawaii: Winds reaching 100 mph (160 kph) down power lines on Maui's Mount Haleakala laden with up to 18 inches (45 cm) of ice that accumulated on the summit. 5 January 2004, Meacham, Oregon: The coldest day in Meacham's 55-year climate records: -31° F (-35.0° C). 6 January 1880, Seattle, Washington: Seattle snowstorm dumps 48 inches (146 cm) on region. Hundreds of barns collapse under weight of snow. 6 January 1968, International Falls, Minnesota: The all-time record low is set in International Falls. Temperatures on this day drop to a bone-chilling minus 46° F (-43,3° C). 6-7 January 1886, Kansas: A great blizzard strikes Kansas without warning, claiming 50 to 100 lives, and eighty percent of the cattle in the state. 6-8 January 2004, Portland, Oregon: The worst snow and ice storm in a decade blasts Portland. The airport remains closed for three days as thick ice coats runways, stranding thousands of passengers. Many roads and highways are closed because of ice, accidents and downed trees. 6-8 January 2009, Western Washington: A Pineapple Express brings mild temperatures and torrential rain to the Pacific Northwest, melting snowpack from the previous month's record snowstorms and causing massive flooding, mudslides, and avalanches across the state of Washington. A number of precipitation records are set. Seattle receives a record 2.29 inches (58.2 mm) of rain at Sea-Tac Airport, and in Olympia a record 4.82 inches (122.4 mm) of rain falls. More than 30,000 people are encouraged to evacuate their homes due to flooding. Roads and railway connections are cut as highway officials close a 20-mile stretch of I-5 and Amtrak passenger service out of Seattle is suspended. Several cities declare a civil emergency. The Snoqualmie River at Carnation reached its highest recorded levels: 61.5 feet (18.8 m), 7.5 feet (2.3 m) above flood stage) on January 7. The National Weather Service estimated damages at $125 million. 7 January 1971, Hawley Lake, Arizona: The temperature at Hawley Lake, located southeast of McNary, plunges to -40 degrees F/C to establish a state record. 7 January 2008, Northest Illinois/Southeast Wisconsin: Fast-moving thunderstorms sweep across portions of northeastern Illinois into southeast Wisconsin from north of the Rockford (IL) area to near Kenosha WI. The storms produced tornados that leave a trail of damage from Machesney Park, north of Rockford, east-northeastward through Poplar Grove (IL). An EF-3 twister passes north of Harvard (IL) before moving into southeast Wisconsin to cause damage near New Munster (WI) in Kenosha County. Near Harvard, a suspected tornado derails one locomotive and 12 freight cars. Two twisters are also sighted near the Kenosha County Airport. The twisters damage numerous homes and down trees, transformers and powerlines. Hardest hit is a subdivision in Wheatland (WI), about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Milwaukee, where at least 55 homes are damaged. The tornadoes are the furthest north winter tornadoes in the US since 1967. 8 January 1987, Red River, New Mexico: A winter storm moving out of the Southern Rockiesdumps 14 inches (40 cm) of snow on Red River. 8 January 2003, Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines records the warmest January temperature ever: 67°F (19.4°C). 9 January 1990, Coastal Oregon: The third storm in four days hits the Pacific Northwest. Winds in Oregon gust above 100 mph (160 km/h) at Netarts and at Oceanside. Up to 8.16 inches (297 mm) of rain is reported around Seaside, and Astoria receives 4.53 inches (115 mm), a rainfall record for the date. 9 January 2012, Midland, Texas: A winter storm dumps 10.6 inches (27 cm) of snow on Midland, setting a new record for the heaviest 1-day snowfall ever in city history. The accumulation pushes the season's snowfall to 19.5 inches (49.5 cm) over the previous seasonal record amount. 9-10 January 1962, Montana, Colorado and Wyoming: A strong high pressure system sends the surface sea-level pressure to record heights in the Rocky Mountain states. Helena records a pressure of 31.40 inches Hg (1063 mb); Havre 31.30 inches Hg (1060 mb); and Kalispell, 31.26 inches Hg (1058 mb) on the 9th while in Wyoming, Casper reaches 31.31 inches Hg (1060 mb) and Sheridan 31.28 inches Hg (1059 mb). On the 10th, Missoula barometric pressure hits 31.3 inches Hg (1060 mb) while in Colorado, high pressure records are set at Pueblo 31.21 inches Hg (1057 mb) and 31.29 inches Hg (1059 mb). 10 January 1800, Savannah, Georgia / Charleston, South Carolina: The heaviest snowfall on record blankets the Coastal Plain of the southeastern US. Savannah is buried by a foot and a half (45 cm) of snow, and ten inches (25 cm) covers Charleston. 10 January 1975, Duluth, Minnesota: Barometer pressure drops to record low of 28.55 inches (967 mb) during intense winter storm over Minnesota. storm deposits two feet (60 cm) of snow on parts of the state and wind chills reach -80F (-62C) there. 10 January 2005, Los Angeles and La Conchita, California: A deadly mudslide near La Conchita, California claims 10 lives. The slide results from more than two weeks of heavy rain that deluge Southern California. Los Angeles records its wettest 15-day period on record, from 27 December 2004 to 10 January 2005 rainfall totals 16.97 inches (431 mm). 10 January 2008, Vancouver, Washington: Three tornadoes touch down in the southwest corner of Washington in Clark County. In Vancouver, one tornado hit a residential area, downing power lines, uprooting trees and tossing shopping carts into cars, but there are no reports of injuries. The tornado also demolishes a rowing club in Vancouver. 10 January 2011, Plains and Southern States: A huge snowstorm dumps record snows across a wide swath of the United States. Daily snowfall records are set at 295 sites with another 36 tied. Twenty five of the contiguous 48 states set at least one accumulation record with Kansas and Nebraska the hardest hit. Red Cloud Nebraska; Pilaski and Chattanooga Tennessee led the list with 10.5 inches (26.7 cm). 10-14 January 1997, Montague, New York: Five-day snowfall event dumps record 95 inches (241 cm), 40 inches (102 cm) of which fell in 12 hours from Saturday night through Sunday morning (11th-12th). Over the 24-hour period, the Lewis County site recorded 77 inches (196 cm), a new US national record. 10-15 January 1990, Valdez, Alaska: Five-day snowstorm covers Valdez with 60.7 inches (154 cm) of snow. 11 January 1911, Rapid City, South Dakota: The temperature at Rapid City plunges 47 F degrees (26 C degrees) in just fifteen minutes. 11 January 2004, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: The temperature plunges to 18 °F (-7.8 °C ) breaking the old record for the day by 7 F degrees (3.9 C degrees). 11 January 2010, Tampa, Florida: Tampa observes a 51°F (10.6°C ) high —: the 10th consecutive day on which the high temperature failed to reach 60°F (15.6°C ). There has never in the local weather records that extend back to1890 has there been a longer spell of sub-60°F (15.6°C ) high temperatures. . 12 January 1912, Washta, Iowa: Morning reading of 47 degrees below zero F (-43.9°C ) establishs the state record. 12 January 1985, San Antonio, Texas: The palm trees of San Antonio are blanketed with 13.5 inches (34 cm) of snow, more snow than had ever fallen previously in an entire winter season. 12 January 1888, Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas: The Children's Blizzard strikes suddenly across the upper Plains States bringing rapid temperature drops, strong winds and blowing snow. The storm leaves some 500 dead, many school children caught on the way home from school. 12 January 2004, The Nation: The 48 contiguous states has the highest areal snow cover since NOAA, began producing detailed snowpack analyses of the US in 2004. Snow coverage expanded today to 70.9% of the nation., The National Weather Service reports snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states -- that included Hawaii, which has 7 inches on the top of the Mauna Kea mountain. Only Florida is spared. 13 January 1871, Key West, Florida: The mercury plunges to 41 °Fahrenheit (5 °C ) the coldest reading ever at this farthest south location in the contiguous US. The mark was tied on 12 January 1993. 13 January 1888, Fort Keough, Montana: The mercury plunges to 65 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 54 °C ) at Fort Keough, the reading stands as the continental US record minimum for sixty-six years. 13-14 January 1999, Eastern Massachusetts: A major snowfall in eastern Massachusetts dumps 10-16 inches (25-40 cm) of snow south of Boston. Estimates suggest up to a foot (30 cm) of that snow could be attributed to ocean-effect snowfall. 14 January 2004, Oahu, Hawaii: Strong winds associated with a frontal system knocks out power to over 12,000 homes. A gust to 85 mph (135 km/hr) is reported along the west Oahu coast, and a rare tornado touches down. 14 January 2009, Alaska: Temperatures in areas of Alaska see an astounding jump compared with the early days of the month when temperatures registered below -50°F (minus 45.6 °C ). By the 14th, however, temperatures reached loftier heights. The high in Birch Lake reached 54°Fahrenheit (12.2°C ), a rise of 106 F deg (58.8 C degrees) from its cold during the 3-5 Jan period of -52°Fahrenheit (-46.7 °C ); Central rose from -56°Fahrenheit (-48.9 °C ) to 45°Fahrenheit (7.2 °C ); and Anchorage saw a "moderate" rise from -19°Fahrenheit (7.2 °C ) to 42°Fahrenheit (5.6 °C ) 15 January 1932, Los Angeles, California: Up to two inches (5 cm) of snow blanket the Los Angeles basin of California. The Los Angeles Civic Center reports an inch (2.5 cm) of snow. Beaches of Santa Monica whitened. 15 January 1990, Valdez, Alaska: Heavy snow fall across the Prince Williams Sound area and the Susitna Valley of southern Alaska buries Valdez under 64.9 inches (165 cm) of snow in less than two days, including a record 47.5 inches (120.6 cm) in 24 hours. The Susitna Valley reports nearly 44 inches (112 cm) of snow. The heavy snow blocks roads, closes schools, and sinks half a dozen vessels in the harbor. 15 January 2009, Northern Maine: Depot Mountain records a low temperature of 38 below zero Fahrenheit (minus 38.8 °C ), and Fort Kent shivers at 32 below Fahrenheit (minus 35.6 °C ) . 16 January 2004, Mount Washington Observatory, New Hampshire: The observatory, boasting of having "the world's worst weather," records a morning temperatures of 43 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 41.7 °C ). The previous evening, the observatory reported a wind chill of 97 below zero Fahrenheit (minus 71.7 °C ) based on a combination of wind speed gusting at 92 mph (148 km/h) and an air temperature of minus 39 Fahrenheit (minus 39.4 °C). 16 January 2004, United States: The first tornado reported in the New Year near Abilene, Texas ended a 50-day tornado drought that started November 27, 2003, the fourth longest twister-free period on record . 16 January 1964, Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas: A snowstorm dumps 7.5 inches (19 cm) of snow on Fort Worth; Dallas reports a foot (30 cm) of snow. 17 January 1817, Vermont and New Hampshire: A luminous snowstorm in Vermont and New Hampshire as Saint Elmo's fire appears as static discharges on roof peaks, fence posts, and the hats and fingers of people. Thunderstorms rage over central New England. 17 January 2006, Roseburg, Oregon: It rains in Roseburg; 2.21 inches, almost an inch more than the previous January 17 record set in 1954, falls. 18 January 1971, Los Angeles, Californiia: Los Angeles records the highest January temperature ever meaasured in the USA: 95° F (35° C). 18 January 1973, Corey, Louisiana: A baby is carried 300 to 400 yards (275-365m) by the strong tornado winds, yet receives only minor injuries. 19 January 1953, Corvallis, Oregon: . A combination of hail, heavy rain, and a tornado causes significant damage in Corvallis. The tornado, the first to ever hit Corvallis, dissipates as it crossed the Willamette River. 19 January 1977, South Florida: Snowflakes are observed at Homestead and Miami in extreme southern Florida for the first time ever. Snow is reported across the entire state. 19 January 2010, Huntington Beach, California: One of three tornadoes to touch down in California hits in Huntington Beach and crosses the Pacific Coast Highway. The tornado tosses boats high into the air and flips a limousine and SUV. The whirlwind may have began as a waterspout before moving inland. 20 January 1933, Phoenix, Arizona: The greatest snowfall to officially fall on the city reaches 1 inch (2.5 cm) in depth. Four years to the day later, a snowfall of 1 inch (2.5 cm) again falls. 20 January 1937, Washington DC: As Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworm in for his second term, the Capitol is drenched with 1.77 inches (45 mm) of cold rain in 24 hours, the wettest Inaugural Day of record. Temperatures only rises into the 30s (F). 20 January 1954, Rogers Pass, Montana: The lowest recorded temperature in the contiguous 48 States: -70° F (-56.7° C). 20 January 2011, Fort Yukon and Central Alaska: The low overnight temperature in Alaska drops to 54 below zero ° F (-47.8° C) at Fort Yukon. Central tied its record low temperature for the day with a -51° F (-46.1° C). 21 January 1954, Spokane, Washington: Spokane's heaviest one-day snowfall accumulates: 12.7 inches(32 cm). 21 January 1982, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minneapolis receives second blast from the snowgun as 20 inches (51 cm) of snowfall breaks the previous record of 17 inches (43 cm) for 24 hours that had been established just a few days earlier. A record 38 inches (96.5 cm) of snow cover the ground piling into drifts ten feet (three metres) high. 21 January 2008, Northern Maine: Temperatures drop well below zero Fahrenheit in extreme northern sections of Maine: Van Buren registers -34° F (-36.7° C); Presque Isle bottoms at -27° F; (-32.8° C) and Allagash, falls to -26° F (-32.2° C). 21 January 2011, North Woods region of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin: The low overnight temperature in Minnesota bottoms at 46 below zero ° F (-43.3° C) at International Falls, breaking the records set in 1954.. Babbet, Minnesota also registered -46° F (-43.3° C). In Wisconsin, Ladysmith shivered at a record low of -33° F (-36.1° C). 22 January 1943, Spearfish, South Dakota: The temperature soars from minus 4° F (-20° C) at 7:30am to 45° F (7° C) at 7.32 am, a 49 F degree (27 C degree) rise in just 2 minutes! 22 January 2004, Rochester, New York: Residents of Rochester watch measureable snow fall on 19 consecutive days beginning January 4th. String ties the previous mark set in 1985. 22 January 2006, Olympia, Washington: Olympia's run of rainy days finally ends at 35. 22-23 January 2005, Boston, Massachusetts: Snow accumulates at a rate of at least 2 inches (5 cm) an hour leaving more than 20 inches (50.8 cm) at Logan International Airport by noon. The snowstorm becomes the sixth-worst to hit Boston in the past 100 years. Just north of Boston, the town of Peabody sees 29 inches (74 cm). 22-23 January 2012, Southern States: A nighttime tornado outbreak brings deadly and destructive storms to Cleveland, Dallas, Lonoke, and Prairie, and Crittenden in Arkansas; Chickasaw and Lauderdale, Mississippi; Dickson, Tennessee; and Tuscaloosa, Jefferson and Clayton, Alabama. At least 28 tornadoes have been confirmed. 23 January 1780, New York, New York: British Army reports temperature of -16° F (-27° C), marking the coldest day in an extremely cold winter in the Northeast. 23 January 1971, Prospect Creek, Alaska: The all-time lowest temperature in the State of Alaska and the United States measured on this date: -80° F (-62° C). 23 January 2006, Aberdeen and Hoquiam, Washington: A streak of consecutive rainy days finally ends at 37 in these two western Washington communities. Reliable rainfall records for Aberdeen date to 1891. 24 January 1916, Browning, Montana: The temperature at Browning MT plunges 100 F degrees (55.6 C degrees) in just 24 hours, from 44 ° F (-6.7° C) to 56 F degrees below zero (-48.9° C). It is a record 24-hour temperature drop for the US. 24 January 1922, Danbury, Wisconsin: The coldest recorded temperature east of the Mississippi River: minus 54° F (minus 47.8° C). 24 January 1956, Kilauea Sugar Plantation, Hawaii: Thirty-eight inches (965 mm) of rain deluge the Kilauea Sugar Plantation of Hawaii in 24 hours, including twelve inches (300 mm) in just one hour. 24 January 2003, Cape Canaveral, Florida: A combination of very cold temperatures and strong north to northeast winds produce ocean effect snow flurries offshore and along the coast of east central Florida. 25 January 2008, Point Mugu Naval Air Station, California: A tornado moves across the Point Mugu Naval Air Station in southern California. This tornado appears to have originated as a waterspout that had moved onshore. It tears the roof off of a building at the Naval Base. 25 January 2004, Oahu, Hawaii: Funnel clouds are spotted spiraling over parts of central Oahu, though no confirmation of a touchdown are reported. Hawaii reports about one tornado per year. 26 January 1989, Cold Foot, Alaska: Cold Foot (located north of Fairbanks) registers a morning low of 75 degrees below zero F (minus 59.4° C). 26-27 January 1967, Chicago, Illinois: The city experiences its worst blizzard on record as an astounding 24 inches (61 cm) of snow fall in 29 hours and 8 minutes. Cars and buses are stranded all over the city as close to 24 million tons of snow lay across the area. 27 January 2009, Cold Foot, Alaska: A pool of dry air over the eastern Hawaiian Islands allow the early morning temperature at Hilo on the Big Island to drop to a record-tying low reading of 58° F (14.4° C). 27-28 January 2008, Montana and the Dakotas: Rapid temperature drops occur across Montana and the Dakotas as a cold front races through. The greatest drop is experienced at Cut Bank, MT, approximately 50 miles (80 km) east of Glacier National Park, where the temperature falls from 40° F (4.4° C) at 2 PM MST on Sunday to -14° F (-25.6° C) in the following 12 hours. By sunrise, the temperature had fallen to -20° F (minus 28.9° C), representing a drop of 60 Fahrenheit degrees (33.3 Celcius degrees) in 17 hours. Great Falls, MT had a similar temperature fall: 59 F° (32.8 C°) from 42° F (5.6° C) to -17° F (-27.2° C). Williston ND: 54 F° (30 C°), from 44° F (6.7° C) to -10° F (-23.3° C); Rapid City SD 51F° (28.3 C°) from 55° F (12.8° C) to 5° F (minus 15° C) — drop that took only two hours. 27-29 January 1922, Washington DC: The infamous Knickerbocker Snowstorm buries the nation's capitol and causes the collapse of the Knickerbocker Theater that takes 98 lives. 27-29 January 1772, Northern Virginia: The Washington and Jefferson Snowstorm dumps up to 36 inches (91 cm) of snow on the region as reported by George Washington at Mt Vernon and Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. 27-31 January 1966, Oswego, New York: This northern New York community sees a total snowfall over five days of 102 inches (259 cm), nearly half that total fell on the 31st. 28 January 1887, Fort Keough, Montana: Snowflakes "as large as milk pans" fell across areas of Montana. The biggest snowflake, reportedly measured 38 cm (15 inches) by 20 cm (8 inches). 28 January 2004, Salt Lake City, Utah: String of consecutive days with measureable precipitation — begun Christmas Day 2003 — ends at 35 days. Old mark of 24 wet days came in 1983. 28-31 January 2004, Parish, New York: A three-day snowstorm dumps 86 inches (218 cm) of snow on Parish, located about 25 miles (40 km) north of Syracuse. 29 January 2002, Hawaii: Record rainfall falls at several Hawaii recording stations. Hilo Airport shatters their January 24-hour rainfall record measuring 12.47 inches (316.7 mm). The severe storms cause millions of dollars in flood damage. 29 January 2004, Minnesota: All Minnesota weather stations record a low temperature below zero Fahrenheit (-18° C) this morning. The coldest is Park Rapids where the low was minus 45° Fahrenheit (-42.8° C) 29-30 January 1947, Southern Wisconsin: A fierce winter storm buries southern Wisconsin under two feet (60 cm) of snow. Strong NE winds pile drifts to 10 feet (3.1 m) in the Milwaukee area, shutting down the city for two days. 29-30 January 2012, Alaska: Severe cold over Alaska which has characterized this month hit lows below -60° Fahrenheit (-51.1° C) at several sites including Fort Yukon with -65° Fahrenheit (-53.9° C) on the 29th and -66° Fahrenheit (-54.4° C) on the 30th. 30 January 1921, Washington State: A compact, intense windstorm known as the Great Olympic Blowdown funneled along the mountains of Washington's Olympic Peninsula brings hurricane-force winds ino the region. The winds, gusting to 113 mph (180 km/h) at North Head, fells vast expanses of Douglas fir, destroyed eight billion board feet of timber. 30 January 2004, Grand Forks, North Dakota: The temperature here plunges to an all-time record low of 44°F below zero (-42.2° C). 31 January 1920, Northfield, Vermont: The highest barometric pressure observed in the Northeastern United States 31.14 inches Hg (105.5 mb). The same day, Burlington, Vermont registers its highest barometric pressure ever: 31.12 inches Hg (1054 mb) 31 January 1949, San Antonio, Texas: The temperature plunges to a record low of one degree below zero F (-18° C). 31 January 1989, Norway, Alaska: Barometer rises to 31.85 inches (1079.7 mb), establishing the all time highest reading for the North American continent. 31 January 2006, Bismarck, North Dakota: Temperatures in Bismarck, remain above 0°F (-18° C) for the entire month, a balmy period not seen since 1875.
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NEW FEATUREThis Month in Weather History | |
For lake-effect snowfall, there are few regions that surpass upstate New York. In January of 1997, 77.0” (1.96 m) fell in 24 hours in Montague Township on the New York'sTug Hill Plateau on Jan. 11-12, 1997. According to extreme weather guru Chris Burt, "this would be the world 24-hour snowfall record (surpassing the 75.8” at Silver Lake, Colorado on April 14-15, 1921) if the observer had made his measurements slightly more exacting. Unfortunately, he made one too many measurements during the period of snowfall and the record was consequently rejected as official by the National Weather Service’s Snowfall Evaluation Committee." The storm totalled 95” (2.41 m) over a three-day period. |
The Weather Doctor's | |
While January 2012 was barely a winter month in most of the continental United States (the fourth warmest with all but two of the contiguous 48 states reported above average temperatures for the month), Alaska suffered through one of its coldest Januarys in the past 100 years. Nome, Tanana, Bettles, Galena, Bethel, and McGrath all recorded their coldest January in a century. The temperature dropped below -60° Fahrenheit (-51.1° C) at several sites including Fort Yukon with -66° Fahrenheit (-54.4° C). At Galena, the lowest temperature was minus 65° Fahrenheit (-53.9° C) with four consecutive days of minus 60 degrees or lower. |