National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Snow Squalls, Strong Winds, and Periods of Heavy Snow to Impact the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

A powerful Arctic cold front will sweep across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast this morning. Snow squalls along this front will be accompanied by intense bursts of heavy snowfall and gusty winds, producing dangerous travel conditions due to whiteouts and icy roads. Wind gusts up to 80 mph will spread into the Central Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. Read More >

Weather History Archive

 

Weather History - January 4th

Local and Regional Events:

January 4, 1986:

Snowfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches and winds gusting to around 40 mph produced ground blizzard conditions in western South Dakota. Visibility was near zero in many locations, with blowing and drifting snow blocking some roads. Some roads were closed in western South Dakota. Several accidents occurred, with many cars ending up in the ditch.

 

January 4, 2005:

Heavy snow of up to 10 inches fell across much of Lyman and Jones counties from the 4th until mid-morning of the 5th.

 

U.S.A and Global Events for January 4th:

1641: According to historical records, Mount Parker, a stratovolcano on Mindanao Island in the Philippines, erupted on this day. The eruption caused the formation of a crater lake called Lake Maughan. Click HERE for more information from The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.

jan-4-1641-lake-maughan

 

1917: A tornado with estimated F3 damage cut a 15-mile path and struck a school at Vireton in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, killing 16 people. It ranks as the 4th worst school tornado disaster in U.S. history. You can read more about this tornado from the Sweetwater Daily Reporter in Sweetwater, Texas, published on January 10, 1917, by clicking HERE.

jan-4-1917-vireton-ok-tornado

 

2018: NOAA's GOES-East satellite caught a dramatic view of the Bombogenesis 'Bomb Cyclone' moving up the East Coast on the morning of January 4, 2018. The powerful nor'easter is battering coastal areas with heavy snow and strong winds, from Florida to Maine. Notice the long line of clouds stretching over a thousand miles south of the storm. The storm is drawing moisture all the way from deep in the Caribbean.

Click HERE for more This Day in Weather History from the Southeast Regional Climate Center.