SACRUS

The US Temperature map will be interesting this weekend with the tremendous warmth into the center of the nation / and the south and the dramatic drop off to the northeast

Just made it to 50, not quite the 75 in 2015 (ten years ago) but warm today and liekly not this warm again till after Jan 4th

2015 high temps in the 70s 10 years ago and 15 years ago models started to show signs of a blizzard on the 26th.

Members 14.1k Location:NYC-NJ Posted December 24, 2024 Records: Highs: EWR: 71 (2015) NYC: 72 (2015) LGA: 72 (2015) JFK: 69 (2015) Lows: EWR: 3 (1983) NYC: 6 (1983) LGA: 4 (1983) JFK: 5 (1983) Historical: 1851: The Library of Congress caught fire. About 35,000 of the Library’s 55,000 volumes were destroyed. 1796: A famous cold day was felt at Cairo, IL where the temperature fell to -8 and in Kentucky where the mercury fell to -13. The Ohio and Mississippi Rivers were frozen. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1836: An intense cold wave drove the temperature down nearly 40 degrees in 10 hours at Fort Snelling, MN to -28 °F by Christmas morning, one degree shy of 1822's record. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1868: A severe freeze occurred at Jacksonville, FL when the temperature dropped to 20 °F. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1872 - Extreme cold gripped the Upper Midwest on Christmas Eve. Downtown Chicago reported an all-time record low of 23 degrees below zero, which stood until January 1982, and Minneapolis MN reached 38 below. The afternoon high at Minneapolis was 17 degrees below zero. (David Ludlum) 1879: It was a frigid Christmas Eve at Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada as the temperature fell to -54 °F. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1924: In Fairfield, Montana, the temperature once dropped 84 degrees in just 12 hours, from 63 °F at noon on December 24, 1924 to -21 °F by midnight that same day, the record for a 12 hour temperature change. (Extreme Weather p. 68, by Christopher C. Burt) 1955: It felt anything like the eve of Christmas and within the first few days of winter as much of the southern Plains, deep south to the Tennessee Valley reported record highs. Records for the month of December included: Waco, TX: 91 °F, Abilene, TX: 89 °F, Dallas (Love Field), TX: 89 °F (broke previous daily record by 13 degrees), Dodge City, KS: 86 °F (broke previous daily record by 20 degrees), Oklahoma City, OK: 86 °F (broke previous daily record by 17 degrees), Wichita, KS: 83 °F (broke previous record by 20 degrees). (Ref. Wilson Wx. Additional Temperatures Given) 1961: (24th-25th) 20 inches of snow fell on most of MA, giving the greatest Christmas snow depths in many years. Hundreds of cars abandoned on drifted roads from W Boston suburbs to Worcester. 100 people in snowbound cars in Holden area rescued by State Police. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA) 1963: At 0326 CDT on December 24th, 1963, a new all-time low for Memphis occurred with a reading of -13°F. The record still stands today. 1968: The crew of Apollo 8 took this photo, later dubbed “Earthrise,” on December 24th, 1968. During a broadcast that night, pilot Jim Lovell said: “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring, and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth.” 1970: On December 22nd through December 24th 12.7 inches of snow fell over the Boston, Massachusetts area. (Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events) 1982: The "Blizzard of '82" blasted eastern Colorado with 18 to 34 inches of snow. Akron was buried under 28 inches of snow. Denver recorded 23.6 inches of snow in 24 hours to set a new all-time 24 hour snowfall record. Winds gusting to 60 mph whipped the snow into 4 to 8 foot drifts. All highways leading out of Denver were closed and Stapleton International Airport was closed for 33 consecutive hours as visibilities fell to a quarter of a mile or less for 17 consecutive hours. Laramie, WY picked up 18.2 inches of snow. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History ) 1983 - The barometric pressure reached 31.42 inches at Miles City, MT, to establish a record for the U.S. It was the coldest Christmas Eve of modern record. More than 125 cities reported record low temperatures for the date, and all-time record lows for December were reported at seventeen cities, including Chicago with a low of 25 degrees below zero, and Havre MT with a reading of 50 below zero. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1987 - A four day seige of heavy rain began in the south central U.S. Flooding claimed four lives and caused millions of dollars property damage. Western Tennessee was drenched with up to fourteen inches of rain in two days. Total rainfall exceeded twelve inches around Memphis TN, and the heavy rain and subsequent flooding added insult to injury to victims of the West Memphis tornado on the 14th of the month. Little Rock AR experienced their wettest December day of record with 5.01 inches of rain. West Little Rock reported 10.20 inches of rain in 24 hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Early morning thunderstorms developing along a cold front spawned a powerful tornado at Franklin, TN, which killed one person, injured seven others, and caused eight million dollars damage. Another in a series of winter storms in the western U.S. produced 20 inches of snow at Blue Canyon CA in 24 hours. Bishop CA received 14 inches of snow in just six hours, and Redding CA, which averages three inches of snow per year, was blanketed with ten inches. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989 - Fifty-seven cities in the south central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Elkins, WV, with a reading of 22 degrees below zero. Key West FL equalled their record for December with a morning low of 44 degrees. The high of just 45 degrees at Miami FL was an all-time record for that location. It smashed their previous record for the date by twenty degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1996" The temperature at Central Park in New York City soared to 63 degrees, tying the record high at the time (2015 surpassed) temperature for the date. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 2001: Buffalo, NY had gone through the entire month of November without any snow, the very first time in history that had occurred. But the city would make up for it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as 25.2 inches of snow fell in just 24 hours, the 3rd highest 24 hour snowfall for the city. The new record would fall just two days later when 29.6 inches of snow fell between 7 PM on the 26th and 7 PM on the 27th. 82.3 inches of snow fell during a 5-day period, almost as much as the city normally receives in an entire winter season. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History ) 2004: An extremely rare snowstorm impacts southeastern Texas on this day. Corpus Christi International Airport officially measured 4.4 inches from this event. This was their second white Christmas ever recorded in Corpus Christi. The other white Christmas occurred in 1918 when 0.1 inches was reported.

43 / 24 - 48 hour warmup and now in what is a sea of chill. Friday (boxing day) storm a moderate snowfall. Then a miz/rain on the 29th with a storm threat between 30 - 31 - ist. Very cold in the 12/31 - 1/4 period. beyond there some moderation but remaining overall colder than normal as it appear now.

Ridge pulls west cold collapses into the GL/MW and NE between Dec 29 - Jan 4

Records: Highs: EWR: 67 (1990) NYC: 66 (1990) LGA: 66 (1990) JFK: 63 (2015) Lows: EWR: 7 (1989) NYC: -1 (1883) LGA: 7 (1989) JFK: 8 (1989) Historical: 1811 - A cold storm hit Long Island sound with a foot of snow, gale force winds, and temperatures near zero. During the storm many ships were wrecked, and in some cases entire crews perished. (David Ludlum) 1908: This was the largest December snowstorm Richmond has ever had with 17.2 inches of snow on the 22nd and 23rd. 17.2 inches, Dec. 22-23, 1908-The new electric technology of the day was no match for the heaviest December snowfall on record. As The Times-Dispatch reported: “Reports from different parts of the city showed that many frail structures had toppled in: giant trees, loaded with tons of snow, crashed in: electric wires, unable to stand the strain and burden, snapped, more than 1,300 telephones being thrown out of commission. Telegraph wires followed, the service being interrupted early in the day, and all trains were thrown out of gear, coming in several hours behind schedule time.” It was a wet snow that stuck to the trees and pulled many trees down doing much damage to the Richnond area. Washington DC recorded 11.5 inches of snow. (Ref. Richmond Newspaper)Other December Snows 1921: An estimated F3 tornado struck the town of Clarkedale, Arkansas, killing six and injuring 60 others. Four people died in the destruction of the Banks and Danner store, where 50 people were doing their Christmas shopping. 1955 - The barometric pressure dipped to 28.97 inches (981 millibars) at Boise ID, an all-time record for that location. (The Weather Channel) 1982 - A major winter storm struck Colorado producing heavy snow and blizzard conditions. A record two feet of snow was reported at Stapleton Airport in Denver, which was shut down for 33 hours. Up to 44 inches of snow fell in the foothills surrounding Denver. The storm hurt the ski industry as skiers were unable to make it out of Denver to the slopes, and the closed airport became a campground for vacationers. (23rd-25th) (The Weather Channel) (Storm Data) 1983 - The temperature plunged to 50 degrees below zero at Williston ND to equal their all-time record. Minneapolis MN reported an afternoon high of 17 degrees below zero, and that evening strong northerly winds produced wind chill readings of 100 degrees below zero in North Dakota. (The National Weather Summary) 1987 - A winter storm brought heavy snow to the Central Rockies, and also spread a blanket of snow across the Middle Missouri Valley in time for Christmas. Snow and high winds created near blizzard conditions in Wyoming. Snowfall totals in Wyoming ranged up to 25 inches at Casper, with four feet of snow reported at the Hogadon Ski Resort on Capser Mountain. The Wolf Creek Ski Resort in Colorado received 26 inches of snow. Totals in the Middle Missouri Valley ranged up to 16 inches at Alpena SD, with 14 inches at Harrison NE. Strong winds ushered unseasonably cold air into the southwestern U.S. Canyon winds gusting to 100 mph created ground blizzards in Utah. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Low pressure in the Upper Midwest produced strong and gusty winds across the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley. Winds in Ohio gusted to 47 mph at Cincinnati, and reached 51 mph at Cleveland. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989 - An historic arctic outbreak spread to the Gulf Coast Region, and a total of 122 cities across the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Forty-one of those cities reported record lows for the month of December, with some cities breaking December records established the previous morning. Morning lows of 11 degrees at New Orleans LA and Lake Charles LA, 4 degrees below zero at San Angelo TX, and 26 degrees below zero at Topeka KS, established all-time records for those four locations. Yankton SD was the cold spot in the nation with a morning low of 31 degrees below zero. A storm system moving across the Florida peninsula and along the Southern Atlantic Coast produced high winds and record snows along the Carolina coast. Snowfall totals of 15 inches at Wilmington NC and 13.3 inches at Cape Hatteras NC were all-time records for those two locations. 1998: A major ice storm struck central and southeast Virginia and much of North Carolina beginning on Wednesday, December 23, and lasting until Christmas Day morning. Icy conditions caused injuries from slips and falls and numerous vehicle accidents. Ice accumulations of up to an inch brought down trees and power lines. Outages were so widespread with 400,000 customers were without power on Christmas Eve. Some people were without power for up to ten days. 2009 - Severe storms and heavy rainfall were associated with the same storm that brought blizzard conditions to the central parts of the U.S. on December 23rd and 24th. At least one death in Louisiana was blamed on the heavy rainfall and storms. There were 35 preliminary tornado reports and 34 hail and wind reports along the Gulf Coast over the 2-day period. The 10-year average number of tornadoes across the country in December is 36. (NCDC) 2010: December Pacific Storm- A series of Pacific storms slammed into the Pacific Coast on December 17-23, creating epic run and snowfall accumulations. One to 2 feet of rain brought flooding, mudslides, road closures, and evacuations to lowland areas of southern California, while 4-13 feet snow buried western mountains.(Ref. Weatherwise U.S. Weather Highlights of 2010 page 3)

34/32 light mainly snow - grass and surfaces just about covered. In what will now turn out to be a 2 days warmup Christmas Eve and christmas day, followed by colder overall Dec 27 - Jan 4th with some deep cold around the 39 - Jan 3rd. 12/23: Light snow mix 12/24 - Christmas Day : Warmer than normal mid / upper 40s perhaps 50 12/26 - 12/27 : Light - moderate snowfall (see the thread) 12/28 - 1/4 : Overall colder than normal strong cold 12/29-12/30 , 1/1-1/4 - hint of storm threats in this period 1/5 - Beyond : Moderation to / above normal

Pause the Mamma and Papa's - California Dreamin for about a week

Dec Dep through the first 2/3 of the month (12/21) LGA: -6.7 NYC: -6.3 EWR: -5.9 JFK: -5.8 ISP: -3.4

Records: Highs: EWR: 71 (2013) NYC: 71 (2013) LGA: 69 (2013) JFK: 64 (2013) Lows: EWR: 7 (1989) NYC: 4 (1872) LGA: 8 (1989) JFK: 9 (1989) Historical: 1779: One of the "Hardest Winters" The winter of 1779-1780: This winter was so cold that ice was said to have been piled 20 feet high along the Virginia Coast and stayed there until spring. The upper portion of the Chesapeake Bay was frozen, allowing people to walk from Annapolis to Kent Island, Md. The Virginia portion of the Bay was frozen near the mouth, as well as all waterways in Virginia, which were firm enough to support the crossing of a regiment of the Virginia Infantry fighting the War of Independence as it marched from Falmouth to Fredericksburg, crossing the Rappahannock River, which had been frozen since the previous November. (Ref. Virginia Weather History) 1783: One of the "Long Winters" The winter of 1783-1784: Not as cold as 1780, this winter lasted longer into the spring, and was thought to rank near the top for extremes in cold and snow. The Chesapeake Bay once again froze almost all the way to the mouth. James Madison in Orange County, Va. wrote in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, " We had a severer season and particularly a greater quantity of snow than is remembered to have distinguished any preceding winter." The thaw caused an ice jam on the James River at Richmond that gave way, causing a flash flood of ice and water that swept away a bridge and sank boats that were tied up below the falls. Ice on the Potomac did not break until March 15th. (Ref. Virginia Weather History) 1839 - The second of triple December storms hit the northeastern U.S. The storm produced 25 inches of snow at Gettysburg, PA, and gales in New England, but only produced light snow along the coast. (David Ludlum) Dec. 22-23, 1839: Snow began around 3 a.m. in Washington, DC as a northeast gale intensified. The storm reached its greatest intensity around 9 p.m. that evening when the barometer dropped to its lowest point, 29.25 inches. Then the wind backed toward the northwest and snow continued until morning, with 10 inches accumulation in the city.(Ref. Virginia Weather History) 1908: The most snow to fall to date in Richmond since weather records were started in 1897 was 15.0 inches that fell just before Christmas in 1908. (Ref. Richmond weather recorded - KRIC) 1961 - Holiday travel was paralyzed over extreme northeastern Kansas, and adjacent parts of Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. The storm produced 5 to 15 inches of snow, with drifts up to ten feet high. (22nd-23rd) (The Weather Channel) 1975: On December 20th through December 22nd 18.5 inches of snow fell over the Boston, Massachusetts area. This was their heaviest December snowstorm. Also on the 22nd Boston, Massachusetts had 14.0 inches of snow on the ground, greatest ever for December. (Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events) 1983: On the first day of winter 75 cities reported record low temperatures for the date, with twelve of those cities reporting record low temperatures for the month as a whole. The mercury plunged to 51 degrees below zero at Wisdom MT, and Waco, TX set all-time records low a reading of 12 above zero.(The National Weather Summary) Wind chill readings were as low as -100 °F over a large part of North Dakota. Many locations from the West Coast to the Ohio Valley reported record low temperatures for the date including: West Yellowstone, MT: -43 °F, Williston, ND: -38 °F, Valentine, NE: -37 °F, Virginia City, MT: -35 °F, North Platte, NE: -34 °F, Casper, WY: -33 °F, Lander, WY: -31 °F, Bismarck, ND: -30 °F.(Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1983 - On the first day of winter 75 cities reported record low temperatures for the date, with twelve of those cities reporting record low temperatures for the month as a whole. The mercury plunged to 51 degrees below zero at Wisdom MT, and Waco TX set an all-time record low a reading of 12 above zero. (The National Weather Summary) 1987 - The first day of winter was a relatively tranquil one for much of the nation, but heralded a winter storm in the Central Rockies. The storm produced 40 inches of snow at the top of the Pomerelle Ski Resort, south of Burley ID, the heaviest snow of record for that location. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Strong winds prevailed in the foothills of Wyoming and Colorado. Winds gusted to 123 mph southwest of Fort Collins CO, and reached 141 mph at the summit of Mount Evans. An ice storm paralyzed parts of Upper Michigan during the day. The freezing rain left roads around Marquette MI blocked by cars and semi- trucks. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989 - A total of 137 cities across the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Thirty-five of those cities established record lows for the month of December. Morning lows of 23 degrees below zero at Kansas City MO, 26 degrees below zero at Concordia KS, and 27 degrees below zero at Goodland KS established all-time records for those three locations. Unofficial morning lows included 50 degrees below zero at Recluse WY and 60 degrees below zero at Rochford SD. Broadus MT and Hardin MT tied for honors as the official cold spot in the nation with morning lows of 47 degrees below zero. Chinook winds at Cutbank MT helped warm the temperature 74 degrees, from a morning low of 34 degrees below zero to an afternoon high of 40 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989: The most significant cold spell of the century for the Deep South occurred from the 22 to the 26. New Orleans experienced 64 consecutive hours at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and a total of 81 out of 82 hours below freezing. A total of 15 hours was below 15 degrees with the lowest reading of 11 degrees on the morning of the 23rd. A low temperature of 8 degrees was recorded at Baton Rouge. Snow and sleet paralyzed transportation systems where as much as two to four inches of snow accumulated in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes. Snow and ice-covered the ground in New Orleans. The most significant impact was the breaking of water pipes in homes and businesses. Over 100 fires resulted in the New Orleans area within 24 hours due to a loss of water pressure and improperly utilized heating sources. Ice formed over shallow lakes and waterways where commercial fishing took heavy losses. Five weather-related deaths occurred in the service area during this rare Arctic outbreak. Between December 22 and December 24, 1989, deepening low pressure pulled a frigid arctic air mass into the southeastern United States. This sequence of events produced a historic snowstorm and a rare white Christmas across the region. At Charleston, South Carolina, the storm deposited 8 inches of snow – the greatest snowfall in modern history. At Savannah, Georgia, the storm total accumulation of 3.6 inches tied the greatest snowfall in modern history. 1990: ALL-TIME RECORD LOWS in Casper, WY -41 °F, Redding, CA +17 °F, Worland, WY -50 °F, Sacramento, CA +21 °F, and wind chills in ND. of -70 °F to -80 °F BELOW ZERO.(Storm Data) Wind chills in parts of North Dakota dropped as low as -80 °F. Locations reporting all-time record lows included: Worland, WY: -50 °F, Spring Valley State Park in Lincoln County, Nevada: -38 °F, Winnemucca, NV: -37 °F (broke previous daily record by 25 degrees), Denver, CO: -25 °F-Tied. Cheyenne, WY and Dodge City, KS equaled December record lows with -28 °F and -21 °F respectively. Locations reporting daily record lows included: Wisdom, MT: -52 °F, Lincoln Ranger Station, MT: -48 °F, Butte, MT: -44 °F, Chester, MT: -44 °F, Boulder, MT: -42 °F, Conrad, MT: -40 °F.(Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1993: Five inches of snow fell in just 20 minutes at Turin, NY. The town would be buried under 45 inches of snow during the lake effect snow event. Boonville, NY recorded 31 inches over a two day period. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2001: Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC dropped to 29 degrees for a morning low for their first freezing temperature of the season. This set a new record for its latest first freezing temperature breaking the previous record of 12/14/1980. This also was the first time the location had not recorded a freezing temperature during the autumn season.(Ref. Wilson Wx. History) (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA) 2004: Tremendous snows occurred in the Ohio Valley. The following cities set new records for their most significant snowstorm ever: Evansville, Indiana 22.3 inches, Dayton, Ohio 16.4 inches, and Paducah, Kentucky 14.2 inches. Other big snowfall totals were 31 inches at Liberty, Indiana, 28 inches at Buena Vista, Indiana, 24 inches at Greenville, Ohio, and 23 inches at Mansfield, Ohio. 2005: Southern Illinois: A fast moving snowstorm across the Midwest and Ohio Valley becomes the most significant snowstorm on record for southern sections of Illinois. Snowfall records are set at Carbondale (12 inches), McLeansboro (14 inches), and Carmi (18 inches).(Ref. WxDoctor) 2008: Wisconsin: Most of Wisconsin shivers as temperatures fell to below zero (-18 °C) with even colder wind-chill temperatures. The only parts of the state with above zero readings are in cities along Lake Michigan. The low temperatures hit -13 °F in Hayward and -12 °F in La Crosse. (Ref. WxDoctor)

27 / 14 sunny. Progressing to an overall near / below normal once passed the warmup Christmas (Eve/Day) 12/24 - 12/26. Friday into Sat slop / flop or snow to rain. Warmth to the south / west and cold pushing down into the northeast. Next storm threat, beyond Friday/Sat is for the 30/31. Beyond there - near normal.

probably reached todays (shortest day) high of 49 as clouds have settled in from the SW

sun rose at : 7:16 AM Sun set : 4:32 PM (1632) / 9:15:16 length

Records: Highs: EWR: 64 (2013) NYC: 65 (2013) LGA: 62 (2018) JFK: 59 (2011) Lows: EWR: 0 (1942) NYC: -2 (1871) LGA: -1 (1942) JFK: 12 (2004) Historical: 1892 - Portland, OR, was buried under a record 27.5 inches of snow. (21st-24th) (The Weather Channel) 1929 - An exceptional storm produced snow from the Middle Rio Grande Valley of Texas to southern Arkansas. The storm produced 26 inches of snow at Hillsboro TX, 18 inches at El Dorado AR, and 14 inches at Bossier LA. (21st-22nd) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) 1942: Richmond Virginia had its earliest 0 °F day or lower minimum temperature in the winter on this date when the minimum was -1 °F. (Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC) 1964 - A great warm surge from the Pacific Ocean across Oregon and northern California brought torrential rains on a deep snow cover resulting in record floods. (David Ludlum) 1967: Four tornadoes swept across Grant, Blackford, Wells, and Adams counties in Indiana, reaching F3 intensity in Grant and Blackford Counties. A tornado causing F4 damage killed 3 people and injured 52 others in Iron County, Missouri.(Ref. Wilson Wx. History) An F2 tornado skipped along a 35-mi. path from Lithium, MO, to near Pinckneyville, IL. $5+ million damage at MO’s Perry County Airport where, amazingly, only 1 of 150 workers badly hurt. Near Percy, IL, a woman and baby were carried approx. 400 yards and survived.(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA) 1968: A record breaking snowstorm pounded portions of South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa through the 22nd. Heavy snows were accompanied by winds gusting over 50 mph producing widespread blowing snow. Drifts up to 10 feet deep across the area stopped traffic. Amounts piled up to 18 inches in southeast South Dakota, over 12 inches in southwest Minnesota, and 6 to 15 inches in northwest Iowa. The 24-hour total from this date through the 22nd of 16.6 inches at Sioux Falls, SD set the December one day snow total record. December snow total records were set at over 40 locations in Minnesota, thanks in part to this storm.(Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1983: An extremely bitter cold arctic air mass prevailed from the Midwest to the West Coast bringing numerous record low temperatures for the date including: Butte, MT: -43 °F, White Sulphur Springs, MT: -40 °F, Casper, WY: -37 °F, Livingston, MT: -33 °F, Valentine, NE: -32 °F, Boulder, MT: -31 °F, Townsend, MT: -31 °F. (Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1987 - High winds continued along the eastern slopes of the Rockies. During the morning hours winds gusted to 64 mph at Cheyenne WY, and reached 97 mph near Boulder CO. Gale force winds prevailed across the Great Lakes Region. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Seven cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Charleston SC with a reading of 78 degrees. A storm in the northwestern U.S. produced 22 inches of snow at Idaho City ID in two days, and up to two feet of snow at Happy Camp CA. Ski resorts in Idaho reported three to six feet of snow on the ground. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989 - Forty cities in the north central U.S., including thirteen in Iowa, reported record low temperatures for the date. Havre and Jordan, MT, tied for honors as the cold spot in the nation with morning lows of 43 degrees below zero, and the temperature remained close to 40 degrees below zero through the daylight hours. Dickinson ND reported a morning low of 33 degrees below zero and a wind chill reading of 86 degrees below zero. The high for the date of 16 degrees below zero at Sioux Falls SD was December record for that location. (The National Weather Summary) 1990: Behind the front, a deep upper level low and trough brought brutally cold arctic air from the Rockies to the West Coast. Casper, WY set their all-time record low for December with -41 °F. Locations reporting daily record lows for the date included: Wisdom, MT: -49 °F, West Yellowstone, MT: -46 °F, Lincoln Ranger Station, MT: -42 °F, Stanford, MT: -40 °F, Ahead of the front several locations from the Ohio Valley and East Coast reported record high temperatures for the date including: Tampa, FL: 85 °F, Tallahassee, FL: 80 °F-Tied, Charleston, WV: 74 °F, Cape Hatteras, NC: 73 °F-Tied, Huntington, WV: 72 °F-Tied, Jackson, KY: 71 °F, Elkins, WV: 69 °F-Tied, Boston, MA: 62 °F, Islip, NY: 55 °F and Binghamton, NY: 52 °F-Tied.(Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) Des Moines, IA, reported freezing drizzle with a temperature of -2. McAlester, Oklahoma, reported a thunderstorm with sleet and 1/2 inch hail while at 13. All the result of a shallow, bitterly cold air mass overrun by warm air.(Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1996: 60 inches of snow fell in 24 hours at Truckee and Echo Summit, CA as a strong western storm came onshore. These totals were very close to the 24 hour snowfall record for the state of California, which was 67 inches set at Echo Summit on 1/4-5/1982. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1998 - Cold air spread into the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. For the next four nights, temperatures in the agricultural portions of Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties dropped below 28 degrees for several hours at a time. In some locations, temperatures dipped into the teens. The California citrus industry suffered more than $600 million in damages due to the extreme cold.