Historical Weather Events

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 29 January

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

...1780...On the coldest morning of one of the most severe winters of record in the Northeast, the mercury dipped to 16 degrees below zero at New York City, and reached 20 degrees below zero at Hartford, CT. New York Harbor was frozen for five weeks, allowing a heavy cannon to be taken across the ice to fortify the British on Staten Island. (The Weather Channel)
...1921...A small but intense windstorm resulted in the "Great Olympic Blowdown" in the Pacific Northwest. Hurricane force winds, funneled along the mountains, downed vast expanses of Douglas fir trees, and the storm destroyed eight billion board feet of timber. Winds at North Head, WA gusted to 113 mph. (David Ludlum)
...1934...The temperature at the Observatory on top of Mt. Washington, NH (the highest point in New England) fell to 47 degrees below zero, establishing a new all-time record low temperature for the state. (NCDC)
...1947...On this date through the 30th, a fierce winter storm buried southern Wisconsin under two feet of snow. Strong northeasterly winds piled drifts up to 10 feet high in the Milwaukee area, shutting down the city for two days. (National Weather Service files)
...1983...A series of Pacific coast storms finally came to an end. The storms, attributed in part to the ocean current, "El Niño", produced ocean swells 15 to 20 feet high which ravaged the beaches of southern California. Much of the damage was to homes of movie stars in the exclusive Malibu Colony. (The Weather Channel)
...1987 ...A strong storm moving out of the Central Rockies spread snow across the north central states, with up to eight inches of snow in Wisconsin, and produced wind gusts to 64 mph at Goodland, KS. A thunderstorm produced three inches of snow in forty-five minutes at Owing Mills, MD. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Rain and snow were primarily confined to the northwestern U.S. An afternoon reading of 34 degrees at International Falls, MN was a record high for the date. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Bitter cold air continued to pour into Alaska. At McGrath, temperature dipped to 63 degrees below zero. Strong winds blowing through the Alaska Range between Fairbanks and Anchorage produced a wind chill reading of 120 degrees below zero at Cantwell. (National Weather Summary)
...1990...Severe thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S. spawned a tornado which destroyed three mobile homes near Blythe, GA injuring six persons. A fast moving cold front produced high winds in the western U.S. Winds along the coast of Oregon gusted to 65 mph at Portland, and high winds generated 22 to 26 foot seas that battered the coast. Winds near Reno, NV gusted to 78 mph. High winds also buffeted the Central High Plains, with gusts to 94 mph reported at La Mesa, CO. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...2002...A major three-day winter storm blasted parts of Kansas and Missouri. A catastrophic ice storm occurred south of the snow area, with two inches of ice and snow accumulating in the Kansas City, Missouri area. Thousands of trees were felled by the storm, blocking roads, felling utility lines and causing fires. Two "Bicentennial Trees" which were estimated at being over 200 years old were badly damaged from this storm. After the 31st, 325,000 people were reportedly without power in Kansas City alone. (National Weather Service files)
...2008...A sharp cold front moved across Illinois during the day, producing a drastic temperature drop. Temperatures fell 20 to 40 degrees in just a couple hours, with areas from Springfield, IL to St. Louis, MO falling as much as 50 degrees between noon and 6 pm. Temperatures in the mid-60s in central Illinois at midday on the 29th had fallen to near zero by the next morning. (National Weather Service files)