HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 17 January

From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and Intellicast

• ...1817...A "luminous snowstorm" occurred in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. Saint Elmo's fire appeared as static discharges on roof peaks, fence posts, and the hats and fingers of people. Thunderstorms prevailed over central New England. (David Ludlum)
• ...1867...A severe wind and snowstorm paralyzed the northeast with 12 inches of snow and hurricane force winds. The old colony railroad was snow bound for 10 days. (Intellicast)
• ...1893...The mercury dipped to 17 degrees below zero at Millsboro, DE to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• ...1972...A single storm unloaded 77.5 inches of snow at Summit, MT to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• ...1982...The "Cold Sunday" in the United States. The coldest in the nation that day was 52 degrees below zero near Tower, MN with International Falls, MN following closely at 45 below and Chicago, IL at 25 below. Buffalo, NY had a high for the day of 2 below and Princeton, NJ reached 2 above zero at 2 PM. New January records were set at Buffalo at 16 below zero, Milwaukee, WI at 26 below (coldest in 111 years), and Washington, DC at 5 below (coldest since 1934). Montgomery, AL dropped to 2 below zero and Jackson, MS fell to 5 below zero. Florida escaped the freeze. (Intellicast)
  Strong chinook winds caused severe wind damage in Boulder, CO. Wind gusts to 118 mph was recorded on the roof of the Environmental Research Laboratories (ERL), and a wind gust to 137 mph was measured atop the roof of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) building (in the southwest part of the city, 600 feet above ground level). The high winds uprooted trees and damage roofs. (Storm Data)
• ...1987...A winter storm spread snow from the Southern Rockies into the Middle Mississippi Valley and southwestern sections of the Great Lakes Region, and freezing rain across Texas and Oklahoma. Snowfall totals ranged up to 16 inches at Tulia, TX, with 12 inches at Wellington, KS. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1988...A Pacific storm battered the southern coast of California. Winds gusting to 65 mph uprooted trees in San Diego. Los Angeles reported an all-time record low barometric pressure reading of 29.25 inches. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1989...Strong chinook winds along the eastern slopes of the Rockies gusted to 90 mph near Rollinsville, CO, and reached 94 mph near Big Timber, MT. Heavy snow blanketed parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley, with eight inches reported in Douglas County, WI. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1990...Twenty cities across the southeastern half of the country reported record high temperatures for the date. Record highs included 61 degrees at Williamstown, PA and 85 degrees at Brownsville, TX. Evening thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds from eastern Texas to Mississippi. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1994...Louisville, KY was blitzed with 15.9 inches in 24 hours for not only its greatest 24 hour snowfall ever, but also its greatest snowstorm ever, as a massive overrunning pattern developed over the frigid arctic air that was entrenched across the eastern U.S. Lucasville, OH was buried under 30 inches and up to 23 inches was reported in Robertson County in Kentucky. (Intellicast)
• ...1996...High winds behind a powerful low-pressure system battered southern high plains. Sustained winds hit 105 mph with gusts to 128 mph at Guadeloupe Pass, TX. Winds gusts hit reached 89 mph at White Sands, NM and 75 mph at El Paso, TX. One person was killed and three were injured when the high winds collapsed a food mart roof in Anthony, TX. El Paso recorded its lowest barometric pressure ever with 29.22 inches of mercury (989.5 millibars). (Intellicast)
• ...1999...Tornadoes swarmed from Arkansas into Tennessee and Mississippi. This was the first outbreak of several that would take place between this date and the 22nd from the Ozarks into the Lower Mississippi Valley. (National Weather Service files)