Weather History

This Day In Weather History

In 2011, a wild winter became even more so when a giant winter storm took a 5-day trip from New Mexico and North Texas, to New England and Nova Scotia. The powerful cyclone produced nearly every type of severe weather, from blizzards and ice storms, to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Most of these areas received 1 to 2 feet of snow. Winds sustained from 30 to 40 mph, that occasionally gusted to around 60 mph, produced a blizzard from Oklahoma and Southeast Kansas, across the Mid-Mississippi Valley, to New York and Massachusetts. Prior to the cyclone's arrival, many areas were ravaged by an ice storm that produced around 1 inch of glaze from the Midwest to New England. The winter weather was so violent, that thunderstorms produced heavy snow over several areas, among them Dallas and Chicago. In all, 24 people died and damage nearly reached $2 billion. Some of the damage resulted from roofs that collapsed from the heavy ice and snow.

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In 1977, the Great Buffalo Blizzard of 1977 finally abated. Lasting over a 5-day period from January 28th to February 1st, the wild event whipped snow into a whiteout with 45 to 70 mph gusts that roared through the area each day. From January 1st to the 27th, Buffalo had measured 59 inches of snow which had brought the total from November 1st to January 27th to a staggering 151 inches. On the morning of the 27th, the snow depth at Buffalo airport was 32 inches. Then the blizzard hit. The storm produced around 1 foot of snow, but the incredibly high winds produced drifts around 30 FEET HIGH and produced a whiteout that lasted around 25 HOURS. Many homes in East Buffalo were buried. When the blizzard ended, the snow depth at Buffalo airport was around 42 inches and their total for the season was 164.1 inches. In all, 29 people died and damage in Buffalo totaled nearly $222 million. After the "Mega Disasters" event ended, the ultimate in snow removal commenced when the snow was loaded into hundreds of railroad hopper cars and then transported to distant dump areas. In all, the blizzard caused an estimated $300 million damage.

In 1951, the worst ice storm in United States history pulled a slick trick from Texas to Pennsylvania. In a few areas, the glaze was a phenomenal 4 inches thick. There were 25 deaths, around 500 serious injuries, and $100 million damage.

In 1985, the 2nd coldest temperature in the 48 contiguous states was recorded when Peter Sinks, a natural sinkhole in Northern Utah, sank like the Titanic to 69 BELOW ZERO. This is 1 degree "above" the all-time "Lower 48" record of 70 below recorded on January 20th, 1954 in  Rogers Pass, Montana.
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