Critical Fire Weather Conditions in the Plains; Heavy Snow in the Sierra and Northern Rockies

Gusty winds and warm, very dry conditions will lead to a Critical Risk of fire weather across much of the High Plains through Thursday. A Pacific storm system will bring strong winds and precipitation from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Rockies, with heavy mountain snow in the Sierra-Nevada and northern Rockies. Heavy snow will continue in the northern Rockies on Thursday. Read More >

Overview

Frigid Morning Temperatures Saturday 17 Jan 2009 The coldest morning in at least a decade occurred across the region Saturday (the 17th) morning. A record low of 13 below zero F was set at Williamsport, PA, breaking the record set in 1982 of 12 below. See the map below for other reported low/minimum temperatures that morning. Low temperatures varied greatly from urban areas to rural spots, which is not unusual on clear, calm mornings any time of year. They also varied from areas close to bodies of relatively warmer water to open land, and also from hill tops to valleys. Again, this variation was not unusual, but the near-record cold was.