This Date in Weather History

On March 4 1909, William Howard Taft was to be sworn in as the 27th President of the United States. The night before a fierce storm struck the East Coast and all but shut down travel. With Temperatures well below freezing snow began on the afternoon of March 3 in Washington DC and continued into the after dawn hours of Inauguration Day, which at the time was still held on March 4th. The blizzard left more than 10” of snow. The inauguration ceremony was moved indoors, into the Senate Chamber, limiting the number of persons who could attend. Despite the adverse weather conditions, the inaugural parade was not cancelled. 6,000 city workers used 500 wagons to remove 58,000 tons of snow to clean the parade route. For the first time in inauguration history, the incoming First Lady joined her husband in leading the parade from the Capitol to the White House. Before heading off that evening with his wife, to an inaugural ball at the Pension Building, Taft hosted a celebratory dinner at the newly opened Metropolitan Club for those fellow members of his Yale Class of 1878 who had come to the event. In his remarks he said that . “I always said it would be a cold day when I got to be president,” and so it was. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On March 3 1994, a major storm belted the eastern states, heavy rains fell along the east coast and heavy snow piled up in the interior. As much as 30” of snow buried parts of central PA. This intense storm resulted in the establishment of many seasonal snowfall records in the region. The snow was accompanied by frequent thunder and lightning in some locations. These thunder snows, acting much like downpours of rain in the summertime – gave downpours of snow that mounted up, in some places to 4-5 inches in a single hour. Along the East Coast, on the I-95 corridor, there was more than 2” of rain accompanied by wind gusts over 60 mph and urban street flooding and flooding along streams; 25 foot waves crashed on to Cape Hatteras, NC. A snow avalanche buried 5 cars under 20 feet of snow, trapping the occupants for 28 hours before rescue in the Pennsylvania Mountains of Clinton County. 28" of snow fell at State College PA; 24" at Lock Haven, PA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The morning of March 2, 1975 dawned warm and humid across Georgia. As the day wore on in Atlanta temperatures continued to climb, meanwhile across the Mississippi Valley a strong cold front was heading eastward. As that frontal system gathered momentum and pushed into the warmer weather, a strong line of severe thunderstorms erupted across Alabama. By afternoon violent weather was approaching Atlanta and tornados developed. One Tornado took direct aim on the Georgia governor’s mansion in Atlanta. First the twister touched down in a housing development known as Perry Homes, then lifted up after leaving at least 100 apartments there severely damaged and a small shopping center destroyed. Displaced residents were moved to nearby schools, motels and other buildings. Soon the Governor’s Mansion was in its sight,  The Mansion, newly built and only 8 years old, sat roughly midway on the eight‐mile‐long path of destruction caused by the tornado. In some places, the path was more than a quarter of a mile wide. According to the New York Times, Gov. George Busbee was forced to flee to safety in the center section of the Mansion. Elsewhere around the city, disaster officials reported, about 500 homes and businesses were badly damaged, 50 persons were injured and 3 people died. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In late February 2007 arctic cold had most of the western half of nation in its’ grip, at the same time warm and humid weather covered the eastern states. It was a classic set up of a clash of air masses, that usually results in a violent weather outcome. By the early morning of March 1st a powerful storm was organizing in the southern Rockies. That system would take a track across New Mexico and Oklahoma and then head toward the Ohio Valley. Snow began to fly in the central Rockies and then it headed out into the plans states. That strong storm brought blizzard conditions to Nebraska. Omaha had a foot a snow with 58 mph winds that reduced visibility to less than half a mile. Snowfall extended north and east with a foot and a half of the white stuff in parts of Iowa and a foot or more from Minnesota and South Dakota all the way to Michigan. Further south, where warm air held sway, severe thunderstorms brought hail and deadly tornadoes. Fifteen people were killed when a tornado hit Enterprise High School in Alabama, and two were killed when a tornado hit Americus, Georgia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mild weather had been the rule across the Pacific Northwest for most of the winter of 1994. In fact, when the winter was over it turned out to be the 10th warmest winter in more than 100 years. But in the later days of February an artic airmass that had been building across the Yukon began to slide southward. By the morning of February 28, 1994 it has settled in over Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Record cold gripped the region. Burns Oregon recorded a low temperature of 22 below zero smashing the old record of 2 above. In Pocatello, Idaho the mercury reached 17 below, another record. The cold lingered on for a few more days – but that was to be the last bitter cold of the warm winter of 1994. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For folks suffering in the throes of a harsh winter thoughts often turn to warmer climates and the dream of laying out on the beaches of Hawaii. In fact, the normal high temperature on February 27 is close to 80 in Honolulu. But there are high mountains on the Hawaiian Islands, 3 volcanic peaks extend well above 9,000 and because temperatures can drop as much as 5 ½ degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation that’s a difference from the ground at sea level to that 9,000-foot elevation of about 50 degrees. So that normal 80 for a high temperature can be 30 or even colder. When storms strike in the rainy, winter season from December to February, snow and ice can accumulate on the mountains and even though the snow doesn’t stay around too long it can certainly keep those peaks white. In fact, some adventurous Hawaiians even try their hand at skiing. Such a winter event occurred of February 27, 1997, when several inches of snow fell on the highest summits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The winter of 1645 had been relatively mild across New England. Population growth of European settlers in the region had been slow with only 3,000 living in the area in 1630. But by 1640 14,000 lived in the region and mild winter had encouraged more to come from England and other European lands and by 1645 close to 20,000 where spreading through the area. By February 26 some thought they might get through the winter with no real harsh weather. But it was not to be. A storm churning up the Atlantic seaboard dumped several feet of snow across the region on February 26, 1645. With little to help clean up the snow or for that matter pack down the snow, so sleighs and sleds could glide over the snow, it was reported that travel was virtually impossible for 3 weeks. Courts and public meetings where suspended to almost the end of March. That winter storm or other harsh winters did nothing to deter more settlers and by 1680 almost 70,000 Europeans or their descendants occupied New England. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the morning of February 25, 1961 until the next day sheets of rain pounded the Montreal area, at the same time cold air hugged the lowest several thousand feet of the atmosphere, and the result was one of the worst ice storms in history to strike North America. With temperatures in the 20s and winds gusting between 50 and 70mph through the day the rain was pushed into every nook and cranky of the city and suburbs, causing ice to form everywhere that got wet. Ice accumulated as much as 2 ½ inches thick on wires. Power and communication lines snapped and, in many areas, it took more than a week to restore power. Many homes had no heat for more than a week. Water lines were impacted as well and many suburban areas were unable to get water because of the lack of power and because of lack of heat pipes burst – just as they did in Texas last year. Government authorities set up shelters in area schools to house thousands of people who had no heat, no water and no communication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 1969 arctic cold had been holding New England in its grip for most of the month and a series of storms had brought snow all across the region. In some places 1-3 feet of snow had already been reported in the first 3 and a half weeks of the month. It was only the beginning. On February 24, 1969 at 1:35am snow began in Boston. The snow continued, almost without let up for 5 days. By the time the snow ended just after noontime on February 28, 26.3” was measured at Boston’s Logan airport right along the water. But much heavier amounts were recorded just inland from Boston, in places like Roxbury to Malden and also Lexington and Concord of Revolutionary war fame, the storm brought 40-50” of the white stuff. 77” was recorded at Pinkham Notch in New Hampshire, bringing the February snowfall total there to 130” and the total snow depth to 164”. It took New Englanders the better part of the next week to dig out from the great 5-day snowstorm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On February 23, 1802 a great snowstorm raged across New England, by nightfall when the snow stopped flying, drifts in places near Boston piled up to 4 feet high. In those early days of the republic how did people get around in cities? How were the streets cleaned? According to Marketplace.org; before the mid-1800s, there wasn’t really any effort to get snow off roads. Before 1862, people didn’t use snow plows, they used snow rollers. The way people travelled through snow was by attaching skis to their horse-drawn carts and carriages. Snow rollers were huge, horse-drawn wheels that would flatten out the snow, making it easier for the carts with skis to move on the winter roads. But by the mid-19th century, as cities were rapidly growing in population, city streets needed to be entirely clear of snow for the business of the city to continue. And with this, came snow plows, first used by the city of Milwaukee in 1862. Early snow plows were horse-drawn, and would deposit the compacted snow in huge piles on the city’s streets and sidewalks. Not all cities used plows though. Some just used shovels. In New York, clearing the snow was the responsibility of the Police Department and officers would have to shovel. On February 23, 1802 in Boston, people where then left to fend for themselves in dealing with a massive snowstorm and it took more than a week to literally dig out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fog and low clouds have been the bane of travelers since the beginning of time. As more people travel in groups and because of modern technology those going from place to place sometimes find themselves at the mercy of the low clouds and fog with no way to escape. From the recent tragic helicopter crash involving Kobe Bryant and his companions to a pile up of cars on an interstate highways, low visibility or lack of visibility at all, contributes to the horrible outcome. Despite the best efforts of those involved and modern technology, sudden loss of visibility can, in an instant, turn clear skies to total lack of vision. Those traveling the interstates of the northeast near snow squall areas know this well when white-outs occur and lead to massive pile ups. This type of event can also happen on the seas and especially near the coastline. Such a tragedy struck on February 22 1901 when a Pacific mail steamer struck a rock in near San Francisco as it attempted to enter the bay during a dense fog, visibility was almost zero and those piloting the ship where unable to see where they were headed. The ship went down claiming 128 lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1971 had been a relatively mild winter east of the Mississippi. Many areas had been bathed in warmth and humidity for much of February. Such was the situation on the morning of February 21. Meanwhile bitter cold that had been locked in the Artic hinterlands of Canada was finally able to break free as the jet stream, that up to the point in the winter has remained far north, finally plunged southward. As the brutal cold moved into the nation’s heartland it came into direct conflict with the early springtime conditions. In areas where the cold became quickly established snow developed and tuned into an all-out blizzard. By the morning of February 22, 1-3 feet of snow-covered areas from Texas to Iowa, including drifts to 20 feet high. But the most violent impact of the clash of airmasses occurred in the warm sector where a vicious tornado outbreak killed 212 people. Three long track tornados accounted for all but three of the deaths. The longest track of a single tornado was more than 200 miles long from Louisiana-Mississippi boarder to Tennessee during the mid-day hours of February 21. The other two twisters had tracks of 90 and 70 miles. The outbreak ended on the night of February 21 as the arctic cold swept rapidly across the region and eventually off the east coast ending the severe weather threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1805 the nations’ capitol had only been established at its current site on the Potomac for a few years, having moved from Philadelphia. Originally know during its construction as Federal City, Congress met in newly named Washington City, as it was then known, for the first time in November 1800, the man for whom the city was named had died in December of the previous year, and in February 1801 the District of Columbia, which at the time also included the cities of Alexandria and Georgetown, was placed under the control of Congress. In January 1791, President George Washington had announced his choice for the federal district: 100 square miles of land ceded by Maryland and Virginia, in 1846, the Virginia land was returned to the state, shrinking the district by a third. The Potomac River, at that time, especially in the area around Washington, was shallow and its shores consisted of large areas of mud flats, where the water was only inches deep. During harsh winters the shallow waters easily froze putting an end to navigation until the spring. On February 20, 1805, after being frozen over for more than 2 months, leaving those in Washington City in desperate straits because of lack of supplies the Potomac River was once again deemed fit for navigation as the ice jams broke and commerce resumed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pineapple Express is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of moisture and associated with heavy rain and snow from the waters near the Hawaiian Islands and extending to locations along the Pacific coast of North America, mainly California. Such weather patterns set up every few years during the winter, the winter is the rainy season on the west coast of the US. In February of 1980 an extreme version of this pattern set up and lasted for almost a week reaching its height on February 19. Rain had been falling in Los Angles since February 13th, in the first in a series of storms pushed along by the Pineapple Express. Downtown L.A. recorded more than 12" of rain from the 13th to the 19th. In the mountains south of Monterey, more than 22 inches of rain totaled by the 19th. Unofficially, 19 deaths were attributed to the storms in Southern California alone, with more than $100 million in damage, $325 million in 2022 dollars. Estimates in Arizona indicate at least 4 storm related deaths and an additional $35 million in damage. There was also flooding in Arizona, especially in Phoenix. Shortly after 2:00 PM on February 19, 1980 a tornado touched down at the Fresno Airport, which broke the plate glass windows and damaged the roof at the terminal building. Trees were uprooted and cars overturned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A massive storm developed in Georgia, on February 18th, 2016 spreading snow up the Appalachians and into New England. Blizzard conditions developed in Pennsylvania by the 19th. These conditions forced a closing of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. Winds clocked at up to 50 mph during the storm shipped snow into drifts as deep as 20 feet in some sections of north Central Pennsylvania. Drifting snow stranded thousands of motorists, as radio stations remained at full power during the night relaying information and requesting help from 4-wheel drive vehicles and snowmobiles. Tides of 6-8' above normal caused severe flooding at coastal areas along the east coast north of Virginia. Thousands became homeless in New England due to coastal flooding. Breakers moved 8-ton concrete seawall blocks in across coastal roadways in Maine. Winds clocked to 110 mph at Eastham on Cape Cod. This massive storm said to have some hurricane characteristics, such as an eye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dust Bowl is generally associated with extreme drought and heat. The "Dust Bowl" years of 1930-36 brought some of the hottest summers on record to the United States, especially across the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lake States. For the Upper Mississippi River Valley, the first few weeks of July 1936 provided the hottest temperatures of that period, including many all-time record highs The string of hot, dry days was also deadly. Nationally, around 5000 deaths were associated with the heat wave. Several factors led to the deadly heat of July 1936. A series of droughts affected the U.S. during the early 1930s. The lack of rain parched the earth and killed vegetation, especially across the Plains states. Poor land management and farming techniques across the Plains furthered the impact of the drought, with lush wheat fields becoming barren waste lands. Without the vegetation and soil moisture, the Plains acted as a furnace. The climate of that region took on desert qualities, accentuating its capacity to produce heat. But also, like hot desserts there are also cold desert climates – the lack of vegetation and drought allows for cold air to sweep across these regions, unchecked and creating unheard of cold extremes. The situation that set up for several years in the plans states in the 1930’s created these extremes of both hot and cold. So, it was on the morning of February 17, 1936, when the mercury dipped to -58 degrees at McIntosh, SD... the state record low temperature. Later that very same year, at the height of the Dust Bowl on, July 5, 1936, the state record high temperature of 120 degrees was set at Gann Valley, SD. A difference in the state in less than 6 months’ time of 178 degrees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 16, 1958 marked the end of a massive snowstorm that had developed in the lower Mississippi Valley a few days earlier. The system moved slowly eastward all day on the 14th gathering moisture from the Gulf of Mexico rain fell along the Gulf Coast with increasing intensity. Just as the storm was moving into position to turn up the eastern seaboard an injection of bitter arctic air moved out of eastern Canada and down the coast settling as far south and North Carolina. As the storm moved northward snow began falling on the 14th in southern Virginia and by the time night fell Washington DC was already shut down, by the morning of the 16th already more than a foot of snow was on the ground in DC.. 2’ pf snow clogged Boston by the evening of the 16 with an incredible 30-36” from the Catskills in New York to the White Mountains of New England. After the storm moved out to sea later that night the toll was staggering; 43 had died and more than $500 million dollars of destruction, more than $4.5 billion in today’s dollars was totaled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Texas Gulf coast is known for hot steamy weather and has been the site of some of the most destructive and deadly hurricanes ever to strike the United States, but on February 15, 1895 a weather extreme of another sort struck the region. In the days leading up to the February 15th artic cold plunged into the south with a vengeance. At the same time a storm was spinning inland in southern California. The cold weather was firmly established by the 14th and that western storm was forced southward into northern Mexico. It set the scene for the greatest snowfall event to ever hit the Gulf coast. Snow began to fall in some places on the evening of the 14th and by the time it stopped in the afternoon of February 15, 1895 record snowfall was measured from Texas to Alabama: Rayne, Louisiana recorded 22" a state record; Houston, also had, 22"; an incredible 15.4” fell on the beaches of Galveston, Texas, there was 8.2” in New Orleans, Louisiana, 6” in Brownsville, Texas and Mobile, Alabama. All land travel came to a halt for days and the extreme cold and snow killed many livestock. No accurate accounting of the impact on the people of the region was recorded, but estimates are than many perished in the cold and snow that was more usual for the northern plains states. Most homes had inadequate heating and people attempted to heat their homes with fires inside and that led to further disaster. The scale of winter weather was unprecedented. Nothing like it has been seen since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On February 14, 1958 in Haleyville, AL 16” of snow fell, an extreme snow event for that area of the country. Because of the snow’s high water equivalent, that is the total water content of the snow, the weight was extremely heavy and it caused many chicken coops in the poultry region to collapse leading to the crushing of many of the chickens inside. The coops were not constructed to withstand the heavy wet snow that fell, since the entire average winter’s snowfall in the region was a mere 1-2”. Following the snow storm many chicken coops in the poultry rich region where rebuilt to higher standards. In the north, chicken coop building standards have been and remain much more sturdy due to snowfall. In addition in many places housing poultry that don’t need coops, foul are kept in wire cages. The only impact is that when snow is heavy enough people must be called out to knock the snow off the wire confinements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By February 13, 1899 much of the nation had been suffering under the icy grip of the worst arctic outbreak since the founding of the republic. Records that stand even to today had been set in the days previous to February 13, 1899 and more were to fall in the next few days. Because of the persistent week-long cold, Ice flows had formed in Gulf of Mexico causing a hazard to navigation. The temperature on the morning of February 13, 1899 along the Gulf coast sat at incredibly low readings; -16 degrees Minden, LA a record for state, in New Orleans the mercury was 6.8 degrees; at in Mobile -1 degree; Pensacola 7 degrees; Brownsville Texas was 12 degrees an all time low for the city. Temperatures all the way southward to Ft Myers were in the 20s and snowflakes where observed all across Florida. But father up the East Coast the brunt of the outbreak was being felt as a Great Blizzard paralyzed the region on the 13th and 14th: 36" of snow fell at Cape May, New Jersey. 20.5" at Washington, D.C. and many other areas along the coast saw snowfall totals at more than a foot. The cold finally broke in the following days, after a week of misery, and with the warmup came several inches of rain that on top of melting snow produced flooding in the Northeast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 1899 marked the arrival of perhaps the coldest airmass in move into the United States in recorded history. For more than a week the bitter arctic cold ravaged North America with Blizzards and ice. Records were established that hold even today more than century later. By February 12, 1899 the cold was already firmly established. In previous days the mercury had already dipped to minus 20 in Columbus and Pittsburgh. The day before on the 11th parts of Montana had seen temperatures below minus 60. In Tallahassee 2 below was recorded, a state of Florida record that still stands today. A foot and a half of snow had not only fallen in Philadelphia and Baltimore, but Richmond and Raleigh. By February 12 the storm was in full swing, in Boston winds gusted to 65 mph and maintained an average of 50 mph throughout the entire day. 24-36" of snow just north of Boston in Beverly. The Boston Herald declared: "Rarely, if ever, has Boston been so completely snowbound as it has been by this blizzard." At the end of the storm, the snow depth measured 23" in Boston. But the snow extended far southward bringing unheard of snow totals including 4 in Charleston SC and 2.8” in Tallahassee. The cold persisted well behind the storm, Tulia, Texas recorded a morning temperature of minus 23, a state record. The arctic grip was not lessening, far from it, some places would suffer even more from the cold in coming days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 11, 1994 dawned cold across the Tennessee Valley, an air mass that originated in the arctic snow fields of the Yukon had in previous days blasted across the northern plains state and by the 11th had settled into much of the nation east of the Rockies. Far to the south a storm was brewing on the Texas Gulf coast and pulling plenty of moisture northward out ahead of it. The cold air was holding on stubbornly in the lowest several thousand feet of the atmosphere in the Tennessee and Ohio valleys even as it began to warm up higher up in the air. As the moisture form the Gulf of Mexico was forced to rise up and over that cold layer of air near the ground it began to rain – but with temperatures still well below freezing at the surface the rain froze on everything. The result was Severe ice storm across parts of Tennessee, Alabama, and much of Kentucky. 1.45" of rain fell at Memphis --all with a temperature below freezing. Power was knocked out in many areas as ice accumulated on tree limbs and wires. In some cases, power was not restored for as much as 2 weeks. As the storm turned northward and into deeper cold air snow broke out on a wide front along the I-95 corridor and dumped heavy snow reaching depths of close to 1-2’ from Harrisburg and Allentown Pa into New England, including New York City, snar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Calama, Chile is one of the driest cities in the world with average annual precipitation of just 0.20”. Located on the Atacama Desert, a plateau in South America. The desert is one of the driest places in the world, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than polar regions. In many locations in the desert it rains but once every 10 years and then in small amounts. But on February 10,1972 a torrential downpour depositing several inches of rain caused catastrophic floods and landslides, isolating the town and cutting off electricity. Prior to this event, the town had been known as THE driest place on earth, having had virtually no rain for 400 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On February 9 1969 the fortunes of New York City Mayor John Lindsay were riding high. Mentioned often as possible Presidential contender in the upcoming decade of the 70’s he had done much to win the support of Democrats and Republicans, serving a Democratic city as a Republican. His policies where often hailed as progressive and finically responsible. But his future in politics was about to be undone by the weather. Warned in advance of an impending storm his administration was ill prepared. Budget cuts had slashed the available snowplows by 40% and a recent strike with city workers has not been fully overcome. What became known as the “Mayor Lindsay Storm” dumped 15.3" at New York City; Central Long Island 12-18"; Scarsdale, NY 24"; Falls Village, CT 35"; Bridgeport, CT 17.7"; Hartford, CT 15.8"; Bedford, MA 25"; Blue Hill 21"; Boston 11.1"; Portland, ME 21.5"; 800 cars stranded on Tappan-Zee Bridge. Property damage totaled more than $10 million in New England. Thousands of homes lost utility service. Drifts reached 10-20' deep. Thousands were stranded on highways, the New York Thruway was closed from New York City to Albany. The storm was named for Mayor Lindsay's failure to clear the streets of New York City and more than 40 New Yorkers died as a result of the storm. Worst hit was the NYC borough of Queens where 21 people died. The storm came to a swift end late in the day of February 9 and with it came the end of Mayor Lindsey political career, despite being re-elected in 1969 he never held political office again after leaving office as Mayor, despite unsuccessful runs for senate and president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Citrus, namely oranges have been farmed commercially in Florida groves since the early 1800s. The first citrus was brought to the Western Hemisphere in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. In the mid-1500s one of the early Spanish explorers, most likely Ponce de Leon, planted the first orange trees around the current location of St. Augustine, Florida. Florida's unique sandy soil and subtropical climate proved to be ideal for growing the seeds that the early settlers planted and have flourished ever since. Today it is a $9 billion industry, employing nearly 76,000 Floridians. In 1835 the citrus industry was just getting on it’s feet, but it almost ended before it got going. On February 8, 1835 a bitter cold arctic blast reached into the southern part of the United States and produced low temperatures unknown in that region. The mercury reached below zero as far south as Savannah Georgia and on the morning of February 8 the temperature read 8 degrees in Jacksonville killing most of the orange trees and setting back the citrus industry more than 10 years. The first groves were originally planted in northern Florida far from where they currently exist. As time went on and more killing freezes occurred the groves were moved further and further south and are now hundreds of miles south of their original loculation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first week of February 2008 was a tough one for the western US as a powerful storm moved onshore. The storm’s height culminated on February 7. There were several areas of very heavy rain with some places having nearly 10“ while winds gusted to more than 100 mph. Loma Prieta, CA had nearly 10“ of rain and Marysville, Ca had just over 9“. Winds gusted to 163 mph near Tahoe City, CA with a 149 mph wind gust at Mammoth Mountain. Snow was also impressive with a whopping 132“ in Kirksville, CA and 62“ in Wolf Creek Pass Colorado. At height of the storm it was estimated that nearly 2 million people were without power through California, Nevada and Utah. Roads were blocked by snow, flooding was a problem not only from the rainfall but because of pounding waves and storm surge along the northern California coast. The heavy snow, rain and powerful winds caused huge airline delays that rippled across the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 6, 2010 marked the culmination of a coast to coast storm that brought parts of the Central United States snow and ice and snarled traffic and caused flight delays for the days leading up to the 6th. As the storm approached the East Coast on the afternoon of February 5, 2010 snow started to fall along the I-95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic region. Already warned of the impending storm airlines had cancelled hundreds of flights and moved planes out of the snowfall zone. The storm intensified aided by a strengthening pocket of arctic cold settling in over New England. The result was a bomb cyclone – so called because of extreme strengthening, not unlike an explosion or bomb going off. By the time the snow was done flying on the afternoon of February 6, 28.5” of snow had fallen in Philadelphia making it the 2nd greatest snowfall in that city’s history. Baltimore totaled 24.8” an all-time record and in the nation’s capital 32.4” of measured smashing the old the record for the heaviest single season fall by almost 10”. Airports, roads and schools were closed for a week and as crews battled bitterly cold temps and strong winds in the aftermath of what would be termed the Blizzard of 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Weather records can be spotty when looking back more than 100 years ago and sometimes not as accurate as todays modern standards, but carefully recorded records of extreme events usually are on the mark. On February 5, 1892 record cold held most of the north Asia in its icy grip. In the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk in Tsarist Russia the mercury plunged to 90.4 degrees F below zero, making it the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. Interestingly just two days later on February 7 of 1892 the thermometer once again hit that extreme low level. Verkhoyansk is notable chiefly for its exceptionally low winter temperatures and some of the greatest temperature differences on Earth between summer and winter. It holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest temperature range on Earth, from that 90.4 below zero to in winter to an all-time high temperature in that city of 99 the in summer, an incredibly high temperature for being located above the Arctic Circle. A swing of 189.4 degrees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On February 4, 2008 record warmth was surging northward from Mexico at the same time 14 states prepared to hold primary elections for the 2008 Presidential election cycle. Known as Super Tuesday, it was the biggest number of state presidential primaries held on the same day up to that point. As the heat pulsed into the country a strong storm roared out of the plains states and warmth added fuel to what would become known as the Super Tuesday Severe Weather Outbreak. Temperatures soared into the 80s and beyond all across the southern states. The mercury reached 85 in San Antonio, 82 in Austin, 83 in Baton Rouge and 81 in Augusta George – all records. As the heat reached its peak the storm from the west started to act on the hot air and moisture moving out of the Gulf of Mexico. As the storm started to do its work it sparked an outbreak of severe storms from northeast Texas to the lower Ohio valley. The strongest thunderstorms spawned deadly and destructive tornadoes, which resulted in numerous injuries and at least 55 fatalities. One of the strongest tornadoes measured and EF4 on the enhanced Fujita scale, tore through eastern Jackson County, Alabama late that election Tuesday night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The winter of 1960-1961 was one of the harshest on record for the northeastern states. Winter came early with a massive snowstorm in the beginning of December then was punctuated by the John K Kennedy Inauguration storm of January 20, 1961. The last of 3 monumental snowstorms that winter hit on February 3, 1961. The deepest snow fell from just north of Baltimore to New England and paralyzed the region for days. The storm did not come without warning, in fact schools from Philadelphia northward were cancelled a day before the storm hit to prepare. Snowfall totals reached 10 inches in Philadelphia 14” in Boston more than 20” across the New York City area and an incredible 40" in Cortland, New York. The wind reached 73 mph winds at Long Branch, NJ. The storm was proceeded by an intense period of record cold starting just after that storm on Inauguration day. In Philadelphia the mercury remained below freezing from January 20 all the way to February 3. That period of continually below freezing temperatures is one of the longest on record in that city. Both major rivers that flow through the city were frozen solid. Many cities set or were close to setting their all-time winter snowfall records – but then the winter ended as abruptly as it began. There were no more snow storms or intense cold the rest of the winter. Two intense winter months that went down in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday, February 2The extraordinary 1952 Groundhog Day Storm was the only Atlantic tropical cyclone on record in February. First observed in the western Caribbean Sea on February 2, it moved rapidly throughout its duration and struck southwestern Florida early the next day as a gale-force storm. The 1952 Atlantic hurricane season was the last Atlantic hurricane season in which tropical cyclones were named using the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It was a near normal Atlantic hurricane season, although it was the least active since 1946. The season officially started on June 15; however, that pre-season storm formed on Groundhog Day, becoming the only storm on record in the month of February. On February 2 1952, a low-pressure area formed in the western Caribbean two months after the end of the1951 hurricane season. It moved quickly north-northwestward and acquired gale-force winds as it brushed the northern coast of Cuba. Early on February 3, the storm struck Cape Sable, Florida and quickly crossed the state. The Miami National Weather Bureau office recorded a wind gust of 68 mph during its passage. The winds damaged windows and power lines. The storm also dropped 2–4 inches of rain along its path, causing crop damage in Miami-Dade County. Then the storm continued rapidly northeastward, reaching peak winds of 70 mph. On February 4 it moved by off the coast of North Carolina. Later that day, it passed over Cape Cod, and dissipated after crossing into Maine. The storm caused scattered power outages and gusty winds across all across New England. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On February 1, 2011 a massive storm moved across the northern and central plains states to start off February on a very wintry note. Oklahoma City was pounded with heavy snow that accumulated almost a foot. This crushed the 5.5” record for the date set in 1913. It was also the snowiest February day on record in Oklahoma City. Chicago, Illinois also had the snowiest February day ever with 13.6”. Other ”big” snowfall winners were Claremore, Oklahoma at 20” and Hannibal, Missouri also at 20”. As this system spread moisture eastward there was significant icing in the Ohio Valley and snow continued to develop over New England and the Northeast although not as high accumulations as Oklahoma to Illinois. Most roads like Interstate 80 became impassable from Chicago eastward to Pennsylvania and most truck traffic from Missouri to Chicago was halted for several days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On January 31, 1911 the weather records show that Tamarack, California, closed the books for the month on snowfall there with 390 inches or 32.5 feet of snow that had fallen. That established a record that still holds well more than a hundred years later as the most snow in a calendar month in the United States. Tamarack, formerly known as Camp Tamarack, is an unincorporated community in Calaveras County, California, in the United States. It was founded in the 1920s. It sits at an elevation of 6,913 feet on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada near Bear Valley and south of Lake Tahoe. It is prone to getting huge snowfalls as storms blow into northern California from off the Pacific ocean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most intense cold arctic outbreak to strike the southern states in modern times plunged into that region on January 29 1966 and by the morning of January 30 set record unrivaled in the history of the region before or since. The mercury in Corinth. Mississippi dipped to 19 below zero the lowest in state history. New Market, Alabama reached a morning reading of 27 below also a state record. In Greensboro, North Carolina the afternoon temperature reached just 13 the lowest high temp ever seen. Many homes were not insulated for that kind of cold and water pipes burst all across the deep south – in some places it took weeks to restore the water. Many automobiles and trucks did not have proper ant-freeze and engine blocks froze and where ruined. The cold made it into Florida and significantly damaged the citrus crops there. This cold air had swing into the region behind a massive storm that was moving up the eastern seaboard and as the cold gained form control in the south in the wake of the storm up the east coast heavy snow was falling that would reach deeps of 10” of more in Philadelphia and Harrisburg and as much as 20” in and around Washington DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Olympic Blowdown of January 29, 1921, also called the Big Blow, was a compact, intense windstorm that struck the coast of Washington on January 29, 1921. The storm is remembered for the massive number of trees destroyed. At the time, it was the greatest loss of timber in the country, according to the U S Forest Service. Hurricane-force. winds destroyed billions of board-feet of timber across the Olympic Peninsula. More than 40 percent of the trees on the southwest side of the Olympic Mountains were blown down. The Great Olympic Blowdown felled eight times more trees than the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The old-growth timber that was destroyed created a fire hazard, and fire suppression crews were deployed by the U. S Forest Service, the state of Washington, and the Washington Forest Fire Association. Air patrols to support the fire suppression crews were provided by the U.S. Army. A herd of 200 elk were killed near the town of Forks by tree branches and flying debris and hundreds of domestic farm animals were also killed. Power and telephone lines were downed. Moored boats were dashed on the beaches. Twenty-one barges were adrift in Puget Sound after breaking from their mooring lines. Smokestacks and chimneys collapsed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would be termed an historic winter storm moved through the southern part of the United States on January 28 2014. Snow and ice stretched from far eastern Texas into Florida and the Carolinas. Heavy sleet and freezing rain led to power outages, including in Pensacola FL. and Charleston SC. Ice and snow in Atlanta GA. led to an incredible gridlock that left thousands of stranded motorists on I-75. People were trapped in their cars through the day and night, Heavy snow fell farther north from Columbia SC to Norfolk VA, and Temperatures were mainly in the teens. Some stranded in the Atlanta area overnight slept in grocery store aisles for warmth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Late January of 1922 saw the Virginia and North Carolina experience one of the greatest snowstorms ever recorded in the region. Automobile and truck traffic had just become established as the main mode of transport for people and goods in the region and the storm of January 27 1922 brought that traffic to a complete halt for more than a week. With virtually no way to clean off the roads connecting farms and towns over a wide expanse of the countryside, travel just stopped. Almost 20” of snow fell in Richmond, Virginia; two feet in Washington DC and Baltimore and in Roxboro, North Carolina an incredible 36” of snow fell. The storm would become known as the Knickerbocker storm because the 2 feet of snow that fell in Washington D. C., caused the roof of the Knickerbocker theatre to collapse crushing those in attendance and killing over 100 movie patrons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On January 26, 1978, one of the greatest blizzards in North American history struck a wide area from the great Lakes and Mid-west all the way toward the east coast of the United States and northward into parts of Canada. The bitter cold arctic air had been holding across the large region for more than a week and had been reinforced by successive waves of air from the Yukon and Siberia. Then a storm developed on the Gulf coast and came sweeping northward right into the cold air. Significant support gathered in the high levels of the atmosphere for the storm and resulted in a system that some said rivaled a hurricane in strength. Pittsburgh reached its lowest barometric pressure ever at 28.49” – just like that in a hurricane. The Paralyzing blizzard that ensued killed more than 100. Winds gusted to 100 mph producing 25’ drifts. Many roofs collapsed from heavy snow. 28.14” was the pressure reading at Cleveland, the lowest recorded at an inland US station. 120,000 cars and trucks were abandoned in Michigan. In Canada the ravaging winter storm caused $41 million in damage and contributed to 9 deaths. Hurricane force winds blew out windows in Toronto’s skyscrapers, where the air pressure plunged to 27.80”; also, an all-time low reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On January 25, 1990 at least 39 people, some of them children, died in the worst weather to hit England and Wales in decades. Hurricane-force winds gusting in from the south-west brought chaos with many railway stations, roads and ports forced to close and some flights to major airports in England were diverted. The severe weather also affected other parts of Europe, killing at least 21 people in France, the Netherlands and Belgium, and caused disruption and damage in western Germany. Police in Britain described the situation as "chaotic", with cars and overturned lorries blocking motorways, buildings collapsing and power and telecommunications lines being blown down. At least half a million homes are without electricity. The storm was marginally less powerful than its better known predecessor of 1987. But no storm had caused such loss of life in the UK since the East Coast Flood disaster in 1953. The trail of destruction from the British Isales to Denmark left 100 people dead. The centre of the storm crossed the birthplace of Robbert Burns on his birthday and became known as the "Burns Day Storm". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the total solar eclipse in December 1834, the Gettysburg, PA Republican Banner reported that in some places, the eclipse caused the temperature to drop by as much as 28 degrees Fahrenheit, from 78 degrees F to 50 degrees F. During a total solar eclipse on the Norwegian island of Svalbard in March 2015, temperatures dropped from 8 degrees F to minus 7 degrees F. The change in temperature during a total eclipse will vary based on location and time of year. The temperature change created by the loss of light from the sun's disk will be similar to the difference between the temperature at midday and the temperature just after sunset, except the change will occur more suddenly, which is why this is often one of the very noticeable effects of a total solar eclipse. On January 24, 1925 a total solar eclipse over the far northern part of New Jersey, under clear skies, the temperature fell significantly during the afternoon to near 0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On January 23, 1916 the World record 24-hour variation in temperature was set. Browning, Montana, in the northern part of the state, hard against the Canadian border reached a temperature of 44 degrees F in the late morning hours as warm air surged in from the southeast. The air mass that held sway in the region came all the way from the Gulf of Mexico and the folks in Browning that morning were looking forward to a relatively balmy day. The average high temperature on January 23 is 33 and the record high is near 50 – so it was quite warm for that time of the year. But the weather was about to turn, a “Siberian Express” cold front came through, quickly dropping the temperature below freezing. The temperature continued to drop, reaching 56 degrees below zero F by late that night. A one-day variation of exactly 100 degrees and also the greatest 24-hour temperature drop in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Black Hills area of South Dakota can experience spectacular temperature variations. Day-to-day changes occur as cold and warm fronts cross the northern Plains. However, temperature ranges across the area at a given time can be just as great. They happen rapidly as the wind direction changes, most notably by the warming Chinook winds. Other temperature differences are caused by inversions, when warm air flows over a shallow pool of cold air. Because the Black Hills rise above the plains like an island in a body of water, they are in the warm air layer. The most notable temperature fluctuations occurred on January 22, 1943 when temperatures rose and fell almost 50 degrees in a few minutes. This phenomenon was caused when a frontal boundary separating extremely cold Arctic air from warmer Pacific air rolled like an ocean tide along the northern and eastern slopes of the Black Hills. In mid-January 1943, Arctic air pushed southward from Canada, bringing extremely cold temperatures across the central United States. By the morning of January 19, temperatures were well below zero as far south as Kansas and in the single digits to teens across Texas. On January 20, warmer air started to spread eastward from the Pacific over the Rockies while low temperatures ranged from -20 to -30 degrees across the Dakotas. The boundary separating this warmer air from the frigid air was near the front range of the Rocky Mountains and through Nebraska, with Casper WY at 22 degrees while Rapid City was -20 degrees. During the day, the warm air higher in the atmosphere reached the higher elevations of the Black Hills. Early morning temperatures on January 22 were already above freezing in the higher elevations of the Black Hills but still below zero along the foothills. Shortly after daybreak, the front moved northeast—down the slopes of the Black Hills—and temperatures warmed rapidly. Later in the morning, the front retreated to the southwest and temperatures plummeted just as quickly. The oscillations occurred several times during the morning; the front pushed east of Rapid City during the afternoon, allowing the airport to reach 50 degrees. It finally shifted south again during the late afternoon, and the cold air returned to the foothills. The change in temperature was noticeable as people rounded street corners. Motorists were unable to see out their windshields when thick frost formed as they encountered the front and plate glass windows cracked. Nearby Spearfish holds the world record for the fastest recorded temperature change. On January 22, 1943, at about 7:30 a.m., the temperature in Spearfish was −4 °F. The Chinook wind picked up speed rapidly, and two minutes later (7:32 a.m.) the temperature was +45 °F. The 49° rise in two minutes set a world record that still holds. By 9:00 a.m., the temperature had risen to 54 °F . Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to −4 °F . The 58 °F drop took only 27 minutes. The sudden change in temperatures caused glass windows to crack and shatter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On January 21, 1863, Union General Ambrose Burnside’s Army of the Potomac began an offensive against General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia that quickly bogged down as several days of heavy rain turned the roads of Virginia into a muddy quagmire. The campaign was abandoned a few days later. The Union army was still reeling from the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13, 1862. Burnside’s force suffered more than 13,000 casualties as it assaulted Lee’s troops along hills above Fredericksburg. Lee suffered around 5,000 casualties, making Fredericksburg one of the most one-sided engagements in the Eastern theater of operations. Morale was low among the Yankees that winter. In mid-January, Burnside sought to raise morale and seize the initiative from Lee. His plan was to swing around Lee’s left flank and draw the Confederates away from their defenses and into the open. Speed was essential to the operation. January had been a dry month to that point, but as soon as the Federals began to move, a drizzle turned into a downpour that lasted for four days. Logistical problems delayed the laying of a pontoon bridge across the Rappahannock River, and a huge traffic jam snarled the army’s progress. In one day, the 5th New York moved only a mile and a half. The roads became unnavigable, and conflicting orders caused two corps to march across each other’s paths. Horses, wagons, and cannons were stuck in mud, and the element of surprise was lost. Jeering Confederates taunted the Yankees with shouts and signs that read “Burnside’s Army Stuck in the Mud.” Burnside turned his Army around and abandoned the fight due primarily because of the weather. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Constitution of the United States had established March 4 as Inauguration Day in order to allow enough time after Election Day for officials to gather election returns and for newly-elected candidates to travel to the capital. On April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated in New York City as our first president. Washington was scheduled to be inaugurated on March 4, however weather prevented Congress from being able to make quorum, and thus the beginning of our nation under the original Constitution was delayed almost two months. On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was the first president inaugurated in Washington, D.C., our new federal capital. After New York, Philadelphia had become our nation’s capital. Though, in order to appease Southern slave holders fearing a northern capital would be inordinately influenced by Northern Abolitionists, the nation’s capital was moved south to its current location. Inauguration was initially held inside the House and Senate chambers of the Federal Congress. James Monroe, the newly elected president in 1817, began the tradition of holding the inauguration outside, in front of Congress. The outdoor inauguration would prove fatal in 1841. With great hubris, the newly elected President William Harrison decided to ride on horseback, without a coat, to his inauguration – despite the winter weather. Harrison then delivered the longest inauguration speech in American history — a two-hour-long oration, which led to the shortest Presidency in American history as Harrison subsequently caught pneumonia and died 31 days later. The twentieth amendment of the Constitution, took effect before Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second term began. The twentieth amendment specified that the elected president would become president through inauguration at noon on Jan. 20, two months, instead of four, after the presidential election. The twentieth amendment also clarified the presidential secession plan. The first inauguration held on the new date of January 20, 1937 turned out to be the wettest inauguration ever with 1.77" rain in 24 hours. It was quite windy with temperatures just above freezing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A strong snowstorm struck the Northeastern part of the United State on January 19, 1961. It was the day before the inauguration of President John K Kennedy, temperatures held steady during the 19th at 20 and snowfall fell at 1–2 inches per hour and a total of 8 inches fell during the night, causing transportation and logistical problems in Washington and serious concern for the inauguration. On inauguration day, January 20, 1961, the skies began to clear but the snow had created chaos in Washington, almost canceling the inaugural parade. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was put in charge of clearing the streets during the evening and morning before the inauguration, and were assisted by more than 1,000 District of Columbia employees and 1,700. This task force employed hundreds of dump trucks, front-end loaders, sanders, plows, rotaries, and even flamethrowers to clear the route. Over 1,400 cars which had been stranded due to the conditions and lack of fuel had to be removed from the parade route. The snowstorm dropped visibility at Washington area airports to less than half a mile, preventing former President Herbert Hoover from flying into Washington and attending the inauguration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s much of the Great plains of the United States was bone dry. Because there was little rainfall the ground was dry. Daytime heat is derived from the ground heating up from the sun and then heating the lowest level of the atmosphere from the warming ground. The amount of moisture in the ground has a great impact on this heating. A large percentage of the sun’s energy goose into evaporating the moisture on the ground surface. When the ground is dry to begin with the sun just gets to work warming things up. It’s not the sole reason that temperatures climb to record high levels – but it helps. During the 30’s in places like Oklahoma a significant number of high temperature records were set in part because of this dry weather phenomenon. Lack of moisture also has an impact of lowering temperatures. Moisture in the ground leads to higher humidity near the ground and that prevents temperatures from getting below the saturation point of moisture in the air. When there is little moisture temperatures can drop more. So, in additions to the extreme heat that we all hear about from the Dust Bowl – there was also extreme cold. On January 18, 1930 in Watts Oklahoma the mercury dipped to -27 degrees the coldest ever in state. It was the 1st day of string of 33 days when temperature averaged -2.8 degrees. 7.7 degrees colder than any other period since records commenced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Edmonton, Alberta a massive snowstorm struck on January 17, 1994. Snow was whipped into huge drifts and visibility was severely limited. When storm like this strike they have widespread and even historic impacts. But all such events are personal and there are individual stories that amaze or are harrowing and don’t rise to the level of historic reporting – yet are extremely important to those involved. During this storm, blinded by blowing snow, a motorist drove her small car into the back of a tractor-trailer. The unsuspecting truck driver drove off with her vehicle stuck beneath the tanker. For 30 minutes, the coupled vehicles stayed together despite the woman’s frantic efforts to break free. Blowing snow kept other drivers from noticing. The truck driver stopped after he heard the car’s tires exploding. Luckily the diver of the car suffered only minor injuries in this storm fueled drive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January 16, 1916 brought a massive storm to California. Sweeping in off the Pacific Ocean the storm was pulling plenty of moisture northward all the way from Hawaii in what is often called the Pineapple Express. The storm struck with a vengeance with powerful gusts of wins that toppled trees and ripped off roofs from the San Francisco Bay area all the way to the Central Valley of California. Perhaps the most spectacular impact of the storm was the several inches of snow that fell in San Francisco and surrounding communities. With no way to clean off the snow on the hilly streets in the region those roads became slippery nightmares and travel halted for several days until the snow melted and transport was once again able to move. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The winter of 1779-1780 had been fairly cold in the New York City area, with ice flows recorded on the North River – now known as the Hudson and the East River through the start of January 1780. But on January 15 the ice flows started to harden and merge together all the way out to the south of the city in the main harbor of New York freezing solid. The rivers and New York Harbor would see the ice thicken and hold firm all the way through the end of February. In fact, the ice became so thick that not only could sleigh and wagons move from Long Island to Manhattan and from Manhattan to Staten island and to New Jersey. With the Revolutionary War still in full swing the ice was even strong enough to support the movement of heavy cannons from place to place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Southern California's greatest snow occurred on this date. Fifteen inches blanketed San Bernardino, and even San Diego reported a trace of snow. According to the “History of Riverside, California” by Edgar Wallace Holmes, Jan. 11,1882 was a beautiful day. But the temperature dropped that night, it became overcast and snow began falling around daybreak. The snow fell all day on Jan. 12th and into the next day. By the 14th, Riverside and San Bernardino counties were totally snow-covered. The bitter winter weather extended up and down California and brought snow to all kinds of places that saw it very rarely, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Riverside, snow fell to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. So much snow blew into area canals that they became blocked in places and severe breaks occurred. Only a minor amount of damage occurred to the citrus fruit still on the trees, as the snow acted as an insulator. However, many trees were damaged when the weight of the snow, combined with the weight of the fruit, and that caused branches to break and trees to split. The city of San Bernardino, being at a higher elevation than Riverside, got more snow. The city had an estimated 12 to 15 inches. All transport came to a halt in the region for a week in what went into the history books as the greatest snowfall ever seen, before or since in Southern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.