Arctic Blast - January 16th Frigid Morning Low Temperatures

Arctic Cold Across The Region

The coldest air of the 2008-2009 season...and in quite some time...occured during the evening of January 15th into the morning of January 16th. Several records were tied or broken across the area for these two dates.

Forecast Lows for Friday morning January 16th

Minimum temperature forecast

Record Lows January 15th through the 17th at Climate Sites

Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne International Airport)
Jan 15                  -18 set in 1972     Low through midnight was -14
Jan 16                -19 set in 1972     Record low of -19 tied at 820 am
Jan 17                  -16 set in 1982

South Bend (South Bend Regional Airport)
Jan 15                  -15 set in 1994      Record Low of -15 tied just before midnight
Jan 16                -19 set in 1972      Record Low of -19 tied at 855 am
Jan 17                  -17 set in 1982

Lows 7 pm Thursday Night (1/15) through 9 am Friday Morning (1/16) (*unofficial)

Observations are from Mesonet*, Coop Observers, ASOS and AWOS* units

Locations	Low 7 pm 1/15 to 9 am 1/16

Angola	-26
Knox, IN (KOXI)	-26*
Culver, IN	-23*
Francesville, IN	-23
Winamac WWTP	-21
Waterloo, IN	-21*
Columbia City, IN	-21*
Garrett, IN	-21*
Goshen, IN Arpt(KGSH)	-21
Fort Wayne, IN Arpt(KFWA)	-21
Archbold, OH	-21*
Waldron, MI	-21*
Middlebury, IN	-20*
Bryan, OH WWTP	-20
Monroe, IN	-20*
Ossian, IN	-20*
South Bend, IN	-19
Hartford City, IN	-19*
Monroeville, IN	-19*
Grisson AFB, IN	-19*
NWS IWX	-19
LaPorte, IN	-19*
Winamac, IN	-19*
Somerset, IN	-19*
Fort Shawnee, OH	-19*
Napoleon, OH	-18*
Sturgis. MI (KIRS)	-18*
Ayersville, OH	-18*
Bryan, OH	-18*
Warsaw, IN (KASW)	-18*
Hudson, MI	-18*
Coldwater, MI (KOEB)	-17*
Defiance, OH	-16
Lima, OH	-14
Benton Harbor, MI (KBEH)	-8

When was the last time a sub-zero reading was reported?

For a comparison, the last time sub-zero readings were recorded in the area are provided below.

Last Reported Sub-Zero Temperature

Location	Temperature	Date
Fort Wayne	-1.0	12/22/2008 1/13/2009
South Bend	-3.0 -6.0	12/21/2008 1/14/2009
Wabash	-2.0	12/22/2008
Warsaw	-6.0	1/25/2008
Benton Harbor Airport	-2.0	1/25/2008
Hillsdale	-1.0	2/11/2008

When was the last time we had a minimum temperatures of -10?

It's been quite some time since the area has experienced temperatures of -10. The table below provides the date of the most recent overnight low temperature of 10 below zero.

Last reported Temperature of -10 or lower

Location	Temperature	Date
Fort Wayne	-15	12/25/2004
South Bend	-16	1/5/1999
Wabash	-16	1/28/2000
Warsaw	-16	1/5/1999
Benton Harbor Airport	-15	1/5/1999
Hillsdale	-16	1/27/2003

What are the coldest temperatures that have been reported at these locations?

Some of the lowest temperatures we have access to are listed below.

Lowest temperatures reported

Location	Temperature	Date
Fort Wayne	-24	1/12/1918
South Bend	-22	1/20/1943 1/25/1897
Wabash	-21	1/21/1985 1/20/1985 1/22/1984 1/21/1984
Warsaw	-25	1/20/1985 1/10/1982 1/16/1972
Benton Harbor Airport	-21	1/12/1918
Hillsdale	-25	2/11/1912
All Time State Records

Page Author: Michael Lewis - WCM National Weather Service; Lonnie Fisher/Todd Holsten/Patrick Murphy/Sam Lashley - Forecasters
Date: January 16, 2009 - 1500 UTC