Current wind chills in northern Alaska. At Point Lay (far left), the current wind chill is -72F (temp -35F and north wind at 26 mph). They had a wind chill as low as -78F earlier this morning. Umiat has a current wind chill of -70F. It was as low as -78F yesterday. @alaskawx.bsky.social

February 11-14th, 1899: A substantial blizzard impacted much of the Eastern US. Snow and frigid temperatures were reported as far south as New Orleans and Miami. Accumulations in much of the Mid-Atlantic exceeded 20 inches. Over 100 fatalities were reported.

According to Tornado Archive, there are 837 documented F2 (EF2) or stronger tornadoes in the month of February, including one F5 back in 1971. The database does not include 2025. tornadoarchive.com/home/

February 10th, 1981: A morning tornado at Bay Minette, AL, struck the local middle school, severely damaging the gymnasium. The tornado hurt 62 people, 44 of whom were students.

#weatherpicofday OTD 17 years ago, February 10, 2009, Juston Drake and I documented tornadic supercells and baseball-sized hail over Oklahoma. Got a glimpse of a funnel before it became rain-wrapped over the OKC Metro. #OKwx

February 9-10th, 1959: An outbreak of seventeen tornadoes impacted numerous states from Oklahoma to Ohio. Seven of the tornadoes were significant (F2+). Over 2000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the St. Louis Arena. Twenty-one people were killed, and 358 were injured.

ESWD - JAN 2026 - 3,494 #wx Reports Fatalities: 29 (Avalanches: 18 | Winds: 8 | Floods/Tornadoes/Snowstorm: 1 each) @essl-ecss.bsky.social @federicopavan.bsky.social @bramvantveen.bsky.social @alluringstorms.bsky.social @weatherhistory.bsky.social @meteomabe.bsky.social @meteohro.bsky.social

February 9th, 1934: The coldest temperature recorded in Michigan occurred at Vanderbilt when the low dropped to 51°F below zero. A luminous meteor was also seen across Michigan on this day.

How are we doing on snowfall this season in the Contiguous U.S. through January? Well, it's the lowest combined total thru Jan since 1943-44. While places in the South and East that average 5" to 20" have done pretty well, most everyplace out West (MUCH higher averages), have had little to no snow.

February 6-7th, 1978: A massive nor’easter buried the northeastern U.S. Storm totals cities, including 18 inches in New York City, 16 inches in Philadelphia, and 14 inches in Baltimore. The Boston, MA, area received 25 to 30 inches in “The Great New England Blizzard.”

February 5-7th, 2020: A multi-day severe weather event impacted numerous states from Louisiana to New Jersey. Thirty-seven tornadoes were confirmed, seven of which were rated EF2. One person was killed by an EF1 near Demopolis, Alabama. Seven others were injured.

February 1-5th, 1956: During the first few days of February 1956, western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, and most of New Mexico experienced one of the worst snowstorms in 50 years. Roswell, New Mexico, reported 92 consecutive hours of snowfall during this storm, which left 11 inches on the ground.

The Dec-Jan period was the 7th warmest for the Contiguous U.S. since 1940. 21.1% had the warmest Dec-Jan during that period. 0.0% had the coldest Dec-Jan; 0.0% had the 2nd coldest, 0.0% had the 3rd coldest, .... all the way thru the 13th coldest.

February 5-6th, 2008: The Super Tuesday 2008 Tornado Outbreak has been one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the US, with 59 fatalities reported. So far, it ranks in the top 15 deadly tornado outbreaks (and the highest number of tornado deaths since 1985). 1/3

February 4th, 1814: London's last Frost Fair was in 1814 when the Thames froze solid. Since the 7th century, fairs featured food, games, and shops on ice. The Little Ice Age and a slow river due to Old London Bridge created these rare icy events.

Cuba measured an all-time country low temperature this morning -- and the first time at the freezing mark there.

February 3rd, 1844: Boston Harbor was so thick with ice on this date that a channel had to be cut through the ice for the “Britannia” ship to leave with 30,000 letters for England.

January 29th - February 6th, 1996: Four states saw their all-time record lows. -60°F at Tower, MN. -55°F at Couderay, Wisconsin on Feb 2nd and 4th. -47°F at Elkader, Iowa on February 3rd. -35°F at Elizabeth, Illinois. The current record for Illinois is -38°F at Mt. Carroll on January 31st, 2019.

February 2nd, 2007: The first-ever EF3 rating was given to a pair of intense tornadoes that ripped through central Florida during the early morning hours. Substantial damage occurred in Lady Lake, Lake Mack, and Deland. 21 people were killed, and 76 were injured.

2 February 1816 1:15 UT Mw8.6 earthquake at Gloria Fault, North Atlantic Ocean. Violently felt in Azores, Madeira, Iberian pen. (14 Portuguese killed), and by many ships. Maybe the largest of AGFZ. pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/srl/arti... en.wikipedia.org?curid=69084847 britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Despite the dry slot's best efforts yesterday, every square inch of North Carolina is covered in snow today.

February 1, 2007: The Enhanced Fujita scale became operational in the US. Unlike the original scale that had been utilized since 1971, the update better reflected examinations of tornado surveys to align wind speeds more closely with associated storm damage. #wxhistory

February 1st, 2003: Seven astronauts died when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas just 16 minutes before it was scheduled to land in Florida.

January 31st, 1950: Seattle, Washington, reached 0 degrees, but it was very brief. It was 6° the hour before and 7° the hour after.

New book coming soon: www.pennpress.org/978151282936...

January 29-30, 1947: An outbreak of at least fifteen significant (F2+) tornadoes struck the Central & Southern US. The strongest tornado of the event was a devastating F4 that struck east of Thayer, Missouri. Thirteen people were killed and another 155 were injured.

January 28-30th, 1947: A fierce winter storm buried southern Wisconsin and northern Iowa under 10 to 20" snow. Strong northeasterly winds piled drifts up to 10 feet high in the Milwaukee area, shutting down the city for two days.

I watched this live on TV at home (teacher work day or something). After the explosion there were brief oohs and ahhs until people realized what had happened. Definitely the biggest disaster I saw live on TV until 9/11.

January 28th, 1986: On a cold morning, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart at 11:39 am EST, 73 seconds after liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Starting in the 20s, the ground temperature at liftoff was 36 degrees. 1/2

January 26-28th, 2009: An ice storm struck northern Arkansas, causing accumulations up to 2” plus and approximately $1 billion in damages. The storm left 450,000 customers without power, with nearly 100,000 without power for over a month. 1/2

In my newsletter this morning, I shared the experimental real-time freezing rain ice accumulation analysis developed by the winter weather research group at NSSL. This is the kind of R2O NOAA does that has clear societal benefit - and that the admin wants to curtail. tinyurl.com/43kcrhmb

January 26, 1918: A small tornado impacted Los Angeles County in southern California. The estimated F2 tracked for 2 miles and had a path length of 70 yards. Five homes and two churches were impacted. One residence was destroyed. No injuries or fatalities occurred.

SNOW HISTORY: On February 26, 1717, the Great #Snow of 1717 begins and blankets the colonies of Virginia and New England with up to five feet of snow. americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1... @nws.noaa.gov @capitalweather.bsky.social @weatherprof.bsky.social @weatherhistory.bsky.social

Current Power Outages: 781,264 Flight Cancellations Today: 4,545 Snow in Boston: 18.7" Today's high in Miami: 86°F Tonight's low in Oxford, Miss.: -3°F

January 26th, 1700: A powerful earthquake struck the Pacific Northwest along the Cascadia Subduction zone. The estimated moment magnitude of 8.7-9.2 caused about a 1,000-kilometer rupture from mid Vancouver Island to northern California. 1/2

January 25, 2021: An intense tornado tore through Fultondale and Center Point, Alabama. The EF3 damaged or destroyed a hotel, a high school, and numerous residences. Several poorly-anchored homes were obliterated. One person was killed and at least 30 were injured.

If you can get around 2 feet in Boston, you've got yourself a very notable snowstorm. It's going to try to get close before all is said and done. #wbz

January 25th, 2000: An unexpected "nor'easter" hit North Carolina, Virginia, and the Mid-Atlantic states on the 24th and 25th. Between 8 and 18 inches of snow fell. The storm was a record-breaker in North Carolina, where Raleigh tallied over 20 inches of snow.

Odds of 1"-2"+ per hour rates Sunday evening are #LockItIn territory This is also when thundersnow will be most likely ❄️ ⚡️ (6p shown)

January 24th, 1967: An outbreak of 30 tornadoes impacted the Central US. 23 of the tornadoes were significant (F2+), the strongest of which were a pair of F4s in Missouri. Seven people were killed, and 268 others were injured.

Attention folks in the weather, climate, disaster, wildfire, and Earth science communities: NSF has just published a new "Dear Colleague" letter inviting feedback (by Mar 13) on the proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). www.nsf.gov/funding/...

January 23rd, 1969: A long-lived tornado ripped through six counties south of Jackson, Mississippi. The town of Hazlehurst was devastated, as around 175 homes were damaged or destroyed. 32 people were killed, making this event the deadliest January tornado since 1950.

January 23rd, 1971: The lowest temperature recorded in the United States is -80°F (-62.2°C), set at Prospect Creek, a Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline construction camp in Alaska.

January 22-23rd, 2012: An outbreak of 25 tornadoes impacted the Central and Southern US. Ten tornadoes were significant (EF2+), the strongest of which was an EF3 that destroyed numerous homes in Center Point, Alabama. Two people were killed, and 77 were injured.

January 21st, 2017: The first day of a prolific outbreak brought 60 tornadoes to seven states in the South. Ten of the tornadoes were significant (EF2+), the strongest of which was an EF3 that ripped through Hattiesburg, MS. Four people were killed, and 67 were injured.

January 21-22nd, 1999: The largest documented January outbreak on record spawned 129 tornadoes in nine states. Arkansas bore the brunt of the event, as 56 tornadoes struck within its borders. An F4 destroyed several homes near Knobel. Eight people were killed & 142 were injured.

January 20, 2010: An outbreak of 14 tornadoes struck Texas and Louisiana. Three were significant (EF2+), the most intense of which was a high-end EF3 near Waskom, TX, that destroyed several homes and a few businesses. Thankfully, no injuries or fatalities occurred.

January 19th, 1977: A rare snowfall event occurred across central and southern Florida, including Miami.

January 19th, 1988: An outbreak of 14 tornadoes impacted several states in the Southeast US. Eight of the tornadoes were significant (F2+). The strongest of the event was a violent F4 that carved a 13-mile path north of Kosciusko, Mississippi. Five people were killed and 90 were injured.