January 2026 OBS and Discussion

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 66 (1990)
NYC: 66 (1990)
LGA: 64 (1990)
JFK: 59 (1990)


Lows:

EWR: -7 (1982)
NYC: 0 (1982)
LGA: 0 (1982)
JFK: 0 (1982)

Historical:

 

1857 - A great cold storm swept across the Atlantic Seaboard. Snowfall totals of 12 inches were common, whole gales caused shipwrecks and damage property on islands, and temperatures near zero prevailed from Virginia northward. Great drifts of snow blocked transportation. Richmond VA was cut off from Washington DC for a week. (David Ludlum)
1857:  Both Washington and Baltimore received 24 inches of snow from this storm and by the 19th with drifts up to 10 feet. Norfolk, VA reported snowdrifts as high as 20 feet. At Williamsburg, VA the temperature was only 3°F at the height of the snowstorm. The cold air behind the storm penetrated into Florida where the site of present day Miami had a temperature of 30°F. Boston reported a barometer of 28.91 inches during this storm. (p.34-35 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)

1893: The minimum temperature for the date is -6°F. in Washington, DC. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1930: Oklahoma's coldest night on record occurred as the town of Watts dropped to -27 °F. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
 

 

1943: Idaho's coldest night on record occurred as the low temperature dropped to 60 degrees below zero at Island Park Dam.

 

1950: Oregon continued in the grips of one of its worst winter months ever. A significant winter storm brought a thick glaze of ice to Columbia River Gorge, stopping automobile traffic in its tracks. Hundreds of motorists were stranded and had to be rescued by train. Even that wasn't easy with the coating of ice. The storm caused widespread power outages.  

1957: The record low temperature for the state of Massachusetts was set at Birch Hill Dam when the mercury fell to -35°. This was broken on 1/22/1984 at Chester, MA with a minimum temperature of -40 °F. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1959: Cold night in the Shenandoah Valley as Dale Enterprise had a low temperature of -4 °F and Naked Creek in Rockingham County, Virginia recorded a minimum of -14.5 °F. (Ref. Daily News Record Newspaper - Harrisonburg, Virginia)

1969: The maximum temperature for the date in Washington, DC is 69°F. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)
Heavy rains of tropical origin began on this day and ended on the 28th. As much as 50 inches of rain fell at 7,700 feet. 31 inches of rain fell on the south slopes of Mt. San Gorgonio, 15.5 inches at San Jacinto Peak, around 10 inches at Banning, less than one inch from Indio southeast. 87 people were reported dead from flooding and mudslides all over California. Scores died in traffic accidents. Hundreds of homes and buildings were destroyed in slides, including 14 destroyed and 11 damaged homes in Mt. Baldy Village. 50 homes near Forest Home (Forest Falls) were damaged by flooding. Highways and railroads washed out. Power outages occurred. Cucamonga Creek itself caused $10 million in damage. The Mojave River took out numerous bridges and flooded farmlands in the upper desert. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1971: A remarkable record at Los Angeles California. Today's high of 95°F set the city's all time record January high shattering the old record by 5°. This is only 3° less than the United States January record high of 98°F set in Fort McIntosh, Texas on January 18, 1914 and Laredo Texas on January 17, 1936. (Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2007 Accord Publishing, USA)

 

1971: A warm Santa Ana condition brought a 95 degree reading to Los Angeles, the highest January temperature on record. It was 95 degrees in Palm Springs, the highest temperature on record for January as well.

1973 - A baby was carried 300 to 400 yards by the strong winds of a tornado at Corey LA, yet received only minor injuries. (The Weather Channel)

 

1978: In Connecticut, the Hartford Arena collapsed after experiencing the largest snowstorm of its 5-year life. Multiple issues caused the collapse.

1982: Extreme cold in the Northeast: Princeton, NJ recorded -9F and Bridgehampton, NY, on Long Island, dropped to -10F. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
 

1987 - A storm in the south central U.S. blanketed Oklahoma City with eight inches of snow, their highest total since 1948. Snowfall totals in Oklahoma ranged up to 13 inches at Gage, with drifts five feet high. Roof collapses across the state resulted in seven million dollars damage. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - A storm in the southwestern U.S. produced a 15 to 20 foot surf along the southern coast of California resulting in more than fifty million dollars damage. A small tornado in Orange County CA lifted a baseball dugout fifteen feet into the air and deposited it in the street, 150 yards away. The same storm also produced 26 inches of snow at Duck Creek UT. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - While fair and mild weather prevailed across the forty-eight states, bitter cold gripped Alaska. The high temperature for the day at Fairbanks was 30 degrees below zero. Thunderstorms along the western Gulf coast drenched parts of southwest Houston with more than four inches of rain. (National Weather Summary)

1990 - A winter storm produced heavy snow and high winds across the southwestern U.S. Snowfall totals ranged up to 18 inches at Lake Arrowhead CA and Ashford AZ. High winds in New Mexico gusted to 100 mph east of Albuquerque. Unseasonably warm weather continued from Texas to the Atlantic coast. Twenty cities reported record high temperatures for the date including Roanoke VA with a reading of 71 degrees. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)


1992: Up to seven inches of snow fell across North Alabama in an unusual snowstorm. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1993: A cold blast of air over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley: Chicago's high temperature only reached -11F degrees, tying the record for the coldest high temperature that the Windy City has ever recorded. Tower, MN fell to -44F. Thirty-six inches of snow fell in just nine hours at Adams, NY. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
Salt Lake City broke its seasonal snowfall when the total reached severity-six inches.(Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1994: Great Arctic outbreak of 1994 begins on 17th and 18th. The massive overrunning snowstorm that had buried the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys the day before moved northeastward and clobbered interior sections of New England and the Mid Atlantic. The Washington, DC area received up to 2 inches of ice. 10 to 20 inches of snow fell from West Virginia to parts of New England. Two day snowfall totals included 24 inches at Grafton, NH, 23 inches at Long Pond, PA, 22 inches at Patten, ME & Hanover, NH, 20 inches at Eustis, ME, and 19 inches at Caribou, ME. 20 inches of new snow at Jay Peak, VT raised their snow cover to 91 inches. Wilkes-Barre Scranton, PA checked in with 16.6 inches, which brought their monthly snowfall to 36.9 inches, their snowiest January on record. Chicago 21°F below zero was near the all time record low which is -27 °F set on January 20, 1985 and Tower, MN dropped to -44 °F. (Ref. Wx.Doctor)
Behind the storm, the next blast of arctic air spread over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Chicago, IL’s high temperature only reached -11°, tying the record for the coldest high temperature that the Windy City has ever recorded (12/24/1983).(Ref. Wiki.Answers.Com)
Governor Arne Carlson ordered all Minnesota public schools closed due to the extreme cold and severe winter weather. Morning readings were in the 30-below-zero range. The biggest problem was from high winds that came with the cold and very low windchills. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1995: An area of low pressure developed over eastern Texas and intensified as it moved northeast to southern Illinois. This storm produced a band of heavy snow from portions of northeast Oklahoma to northwest Illinois bringing transportation to a halt for two days. Columbia, MO reported their greatest 24-hour snowfall on record with 19.7 inches. At Springfield, MO 14.4 inches fell through the next day, making it the heaviest 24 hour snowfall since 1980. Total damage was estimated at $2.5 million dollars. What made this storm unusual was the occurrence of thundersnow in many locations across southwest Missouri at height of the storm (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1996: Heavy rain and snowmelt from deep snow packs over New England resulted in massive flooding and caused the evacuation of 125,000 people. 80 people died and damage totaled $1 billion dollars. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1999: A microburst in a thunderstorm gave winds to 86 mph that imploded a greenhouse in Bridgehampton New York. Fortunately there were no injuries. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2012 Accord Pub. 2011, USA)

[SACRUS]

Just now, SACRUS said:

Records:

Highs:


1994: Great Arctic outbreak of 1994 begins on 17th and 18th. The massive overrunning snowstorm that had buried the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys the day before moved northeastward and clobbered interior sections of New England and the Mid Atlantic. The Washington, DC area received up to 2 inches of ice. 10 to 20 inches of snow fell from West Virginia to parts of New England. Two day snowfall totals included 24 inches at Grafton, NH, 23 inches at Long Pond, PA, 22 inches at Patten, ME & Hanover, NH, 20 inches at Eustis, ME, and 19 inches at Caribou, ME. 20 inches of new snow at Jay Peak, VT raised their snow cover to 91 inches. Wilkes-Barre Scranton, PA checked in with 16.6 inches, which brought their monthly snowfall to 36.9 inches, their snowiest January on record. Chicago 21°F below zero was near the all time record low which is -27 °F set on January 20, 1985 and Tower, MN dropped to -44 °F. (Ref. Wx.Doctor)
Behind the storm, the next blast of arctic air spread over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Chicago, IL’s high temperature only reached -11°, tying the record for the coldest high temperature that the Windy City has ever recorded (12/24/1983).(Ref. Wiki.Answers.Com)
Governor Arne Carlson ordered all Minnesota public schools closed due to the extreme cold and severe winter weather. Morning readings were in the 30-below-zero range. The biggest problem was from high winds that came with the cold and very low windchills. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

)

 

Could be some interesting parallels to 1994 ahead this and next (1/25) week.

[gravitylover]

13 minutes ago, SACRUS said:

 

Could be some interesting parallels to 1994 ahead this and next (1/25) week.

Great 

[IrishRob17]

18 minutes ago, SACRUS said:

 

Could be some interesting parallels to 1994 ahead this and next (1/25) week.

Great 

[bluewave]

1 hour ago, wdrag said:

Very helpful - I hadn't tracked   I like that this is out to 5 days.  Definitely have to factor in and not waste too much time on the GFS. Thank You!

The EC-AIFS looks like it had the best forecast for today from earlier this week between the overamplified GFS and too suppressed Euro. 

 

[SACRUS]

We'll see how things progress with the coldest air on this side starting next week and overrunning potential.

[MANDA]

Looks like deep Winter out there this morning and with the well advertised Arctic cold coming and additional snow and ice threats as well it is not going anywhere anytime soon.  
 

Going to be some hefty heating bills coming up.

 

[Jersey_Snowhole]

[Stormlover74]

Gfs and AI very different for next sunday. Regular gfs hits the southeast then out to sea

[MANDA]

Will be interesting to follow Don’s daily summaries over the next week to see where the January temperatures are headed.  Only one direction….down.

I would say we easily reverse the positive departures.  Only question is how much below normal for the month do we go.  I will take the over on -2.

[EastonSN+]

Just now, Stormlover74 said:

Gfs and AI very different for next sunday. Regular gfs hits the southeast then out to sea

Yeah too much cold/suppression.

The AO could go -4.

This could be a big snow opportunity for the SE again.

[winterwx21]

1 minute ago, MANDA said:

Will be interesting to follow Don’s daily summaries over the next week to see where the January temperatures are headed.  Only one direction….down.

I would say we easily reverse the positive departures.  Only question is how much below normal for the month do we go.  I will take the over on -2.

First time in awhile that we can say that we're having REAL WINTER. Last winter we finally saw some colder weather with average to slightly below average temps for the winter, but we didn't get much snow. This winter we're getting the snow to go along with the cold. And man, does that long range look cold. The last week of January could be our coldest week in many years. 

[Stormlover74]

1 minute ago, winterwx21 said:

First time in awhile that we can say that we're having REAL WINTER. Last winter we finally saw some colder weather with average to slightly below average temps for the winter, but we didn't get much snow. This winter we're getting the snow to go along with the cold. And man, does that long range look cold. The last week of January could be our coldest week in many years. 

I'm glad we got extra firewood this year

[Stormlover74]

13 minutes ago, EastonSN+ said:

Yeah too much cold/suppression.

The AO could go -4.

This could be a big snow opportunity for the SE again.

Yeah cmc has back to back events for Tennessee and NC. Someone will end up with a foot plus

[North and West]

 
Could be some interesting parallels to 1994 ahead this and next (1/25) week.

Getting me excited now.


.

[North and West]

That guy seems to have a very strong cold bias, or least pushes it to get eyeballs.


.

[Rjay]

Jan 28th-30th has some legs

[Yanksfan]

57 minutes ago, Jersey_Snowhole said:

Too much cold is never a good thing. It only leads to suppression depression.

[MJO812]

Gfs has ridiculous cold air . Not sure if its overdoing it

[SnoSki14]

The suppression is overdone. 

[MJO812]

Just now, SnoSki14 said:

The suppression is overdone. 

Ensembles are further north . It most likely is. We will get very cold but below 0 ?

[weatherpruf]

18 minutes ago, Yanksfan said:

Too much cold is never a good thing. It only leads to suppression depression.

not in 94 it didn't, or 96. never know.

[ForestHillWx]

@MANDA has noted this for the past week. The cold load in AK/Yukon and the Northwest territory is impressive. 

[MJO812]

Aifs looks really nice for next weekend 

[SnoSki14]

12 minutes ago, MJO812 said:

Aifs looks really nice for next weekend 

PNA will be positive and MJO moves to phase 8. Multiple factors aligning for something big. 

And some winters it just wants to snow. We've been seeing that so far this season.  Yes no biggies yet but it's coming.  

[Yanksfan]

42 minutes ago, weatherpruf said:

not in 94 it didn't, or 96. never know.

Good point. Trough alignment is also a factor in these setups. I remember when PD 2 commenced it was a mere 9 degrees.