This Date in Weather History

Snowfall in Israel is a common sight during the months of January and February, especially on Mount Hermon. In fact, Mount Hermon Ski Resort is Israel's only winter ski and snowboard resort located in the Golan Heights in the far north of the country. Apart from the mountain range, the Golan Heights, Upper Galilee region, Safed and Jerusalem receive snowfall every year. At just under 2,700 feet above sea level, snow is not uncommon in the winter in Jerusalem. On average, at least a few flakes fall 7-8 days each year. So, snowfalls are not uncommon and some have buried the city if Jerusalem in almost a foot of snow. Because of its high elevation it certainly is colder than cities like Tel Aviv on the coast of the Mediterranean. From December through January high temperatures in the city average about 53 degrees and low temperatures 44. But on December 28, 1879 the city was hit with one of it’s largest snowstorms ever when 17” accumulated. It shut down the region for travel for more than a week.

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Bitter cold weather moved into the Carolinas on Christmas day of 1992 and held for several days aided by a persistent north wid. During the evening hours of December 26 those winds close to the ground turned to the northeast as a storm formed in southern Georgia. Meanwhile higher in the atmosphere the wind turned to the south and increased bringing warm air into the region several thousand feet above the ground level. Still the winds the at surface remained northeast and kept cold air with temperatures in the 20s in the lowest several thousand feet. Colder air is more dense and heavier than warm air and has to retreat and is not pushed out of the way by light warmer air which is forced to rise up and over the cold air. This situation played out across the Carolinas on December 27, 1992, As the storm rolled northward rain broke out across the region – but because temperatures were below freezing at the ground the rain froze on everything. Soon ice covered all surfaces cause tree limbs and wires to come down and turning highways into skating rinks. Hundreds of thousands lost power and, in some places, it took more than a week to restore electricity.

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A major winter storm barreled up the East Coast on December 26, 2010. The mid- Atlantic and New England coastlines bore the brunt of the storm’s fury. Snowfall totals eclipsed a foot in some cities and towns from eastern Virginia to Massachusetts, with accumulations tipping 18” in New Jersey. Winds also howled past 60 mph in parts of New England, creating whiteout conditions in spots. More than 45,000 customers had lost power across the region. Flight delays and cancellations plagued holiday travelers at many of the East Coast’s busy air hubs. All New York City airports were forced to close. The impending storm also prompted the NFL to postpone the Sunday night matchup between the Eagles and Vikings in Philadelphia before the storm even arrived.

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The story of George Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas, 1775.

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A coastal storm developed in Gulf States and moved up East Coast on December 24, 1966. A widespread white Christmas resulted for many. Thunder and vivid lightning were reported along with heavy rain and snow from Baltimore north to Rhode Island. JFK Airport closed for 24 hours because of drifting snow. Nantucket Sound saw seas up to 40' - boat trips were cancelled and people were unable to get to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket for the Christmas Holiday. Philadelphia had more than a foot of snow. Baltimore more than 8 and Atlantic City more than 6", Washington DC had 6.5" the most ever on Christmas Eve. Highpoint State Park, NYC 19", Central Park, NY 7.1", Pittsfield, MA 17" - all time snow record, 24 hours. In Boston, MA, 67 mph winds blew down Christmas decorations. Storm was of great benefit to holiday skiers; up to 20" of snow in VT and NH mountains.

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Regiments of Patriot soldiers in the fall and early winter of 1775, under Col. Richard Richardson, set out to attack a Loyalist unit that had camped in present-day Greenville County for safety. The Patriots marched through several feet of snow in December to accomplish this. The Loyalists, abiding by the terms of a treaty, had disbanded most of their forces. Col. Richardson refused to abide by the treaty and rounded up their leaders and sent them to Charlestown under arrest. On December 22nd, Col. Richardson detached 1,300 troops to attack the Loyalist camp of Capt. Patrick Cunningham that had stopped to rest on Cherokee lands. Capt. Cunningham warned his men to fend for themselves and they all ran into the woods. He was able to escape on horseback. After Capt. Cunningham had been defeated, Col. Richardson considered the upcountry to be pacified and turned his army homeward. He couldn't stay because winter was coming and his army had no tents, their shoes were worn out, and they were badly clothed. Along the way home, it snowed for thirty hours ending on December 23, 1775, dumping nearly two feet on the weary Patriots, thus ending what became known as The Snow Campaign.

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In mid-December 1989 a severe arctic outbreak of bitter cold plunged out of the Yukon, across the plains of Canada and right into the nation’s midsection. The morning of December 22, 1989 brought record cold across a wide area. Notable low temperature records reached down to 23 below in Indianapolis, breaking the old record by 6 degrees, Cincinnati’s temperature dropped to minus 20, breaking the record by 7, it was 12 below in Pittsburg and 1 below in Tupelo, Mississippi. Kanas City dropped to 23 below the colder ever there. On the southern fringes of the cold a storm churned through the Gulf of Mexico bringing snow to the Gulf coast with 2” in Houston and Galveston Texas and an inch in New Orleans. At the same time as the cold departed the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains warming Chinook winds took over and in Cut Bank, Montana after a morning low temperature of 34 below zero the afternoon temperature topped out at plus 40.

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Thousands of travelers were stranded at airports and shelters on December 21, 2006 after a blizzard paralyzed Colorado and parts of other Western states.  Snowfall measured over 50 inches in the Rocky Mountain foothills, and drifts reached more than five feet on airport runways. Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado declared a state of emergency, calling in National Guard troops to help stranded motorists reach home, a hotel or Red Cross shelters. Denver International Airport, where nearly 5,000 people were stuck overnight, the airport remained closed for 3 days. 30- to 40-mile-per-hour winds with falling snow, prevented cleanup. The snow was accumulating too fast to keep up with it. Cities along Colorado’s Front Range could not plow roads fast enough as the snow kept falling for over 24 hours, leaving 20 to 30 inches in Denver. Light-rail trains and bus service were canceled for days, and it was a week before side streets in Denver were plowed. Mail delivery was canceled and most businesses, including malls, were closed during the busiest shopping time of the year. With cars, trucks and buses abandoned on the roads, the cleanup was hindered. At Denver International Airport, thousands of passengers were bused to hotels and many others slept on the floor.

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On December 20, 1836, occurred what Illinois pioneers called “The Sudden Freeze.” About eight inches of snow fell Dec. 19, but it got warm enough for the snow to turn to rain the next day, which melted the snow on the ground into slush and water. At 2 p.m. Dec. 20, the sky darkened, and a heavy, black cloud rolled in from the northwest. Early settlers recorded that then a strong, icy-cold wind, estimated to be blowing at 70 mph, swept over the landscape, instantly freezing everything in its path. Jacksonville, Illinois resident John Lathrop described the sudden freeze. “The cold wave struck me, and as I drew my feet up the ice would form on my boots. When I reached the square, the ice bore me up, and when I returned to Mr. Turner’s, a half hour afterwards, I saw his chickens and ducks frozen into the ice.”

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At least one person thought the 1948 NFL championship game between the host Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Cardinals was going to be snowed out. Eagles running back Steve Van Buren looked out his window that morning at a raging blizzard and went back to bed. His coach had to call to tell him the game was on, so he caught three trolleys and walked several blocks in the storm to make the game, which started with 4 inches of accumulation that only got worse.  It remains the second-lowest scoring postseason game in NFL history, with the Eagles winning 7-0 on a Van Buren TD run, as neither team could do much in the storm.

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