Predict the cold and snow == contest (deadline for entries 0100h EST Sat Feb 7th

[Roger Smith]

Contest snow is only a Trace, as 0.1" before midnight outside the contest period. Prue11 leads on that element so far. 

Today's max of 27 (before 0500) may not stand after tomorrow, but we never know. Our mildest low max prediction is 24. Our mean is 19 and our lowest is 16. 

For the min, almost bound to be tonight the forecasts range from -1 F to +9 and the mean is +6. The record low is -7F set at midnight on the way down to the coldest of all records at NYC, -15 (1934) Feb 9th 1934. It was -50 F upstate and in rural eastern Ontario on that frigid occasion (under a strong arctic high). That day also set the low max for Feb 9th, 8F. Two earlier very cold Feb 9th's were 1899 (11, -2) and 1875 (13, 0). Since 1934, the coldest readings on Feb 9 have been 19F (lowest max 1994) and 9F (lowest min 1979). The record low max for Feb 8th is 8F in 1895, and the lowest otherwise is 21F on several occasions. The coldest min since 1934 was a -2F reading Feb 8, 1963.