January 1985 Arctic outbreak
Encyclopedia
The 1985 Arctic outbreak was a meteorological event, the result of the shifting of the polar vortex
further south than is normally seen. Blocked from its normal movement, polar air from the north pushed into nearly every section of the eastern half of the United States
and Canada
, shattering record lows in a number of areas. Note the event was preceded by unusually warm weather in the eastern U.S. in December 1984, suggesting that there was a build-up of cold air that was suddenly released.
The Arctic air mass started moving into the United States on the evening of January 19 and the morning of January 20. An early victim of the air mass was the city of Chicago, Illinois, which recorded a record low of -27 °F, coupled with 25 miles per hour (11.2 m/s) winds to produce a wind chill
of -77 °F, also never recorded before. St. Louis
saw a low of -18 °F. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
woke up that morning to find a low of -18 °F, the coldest morning since 1899. In Cincinnati, Ohio
, the morning temperature of -21 °F tied for the fourth-lowest minimum temperature in the city's history, only outdone by a cold mass the year before and a blizzard in 1977. Cleveland, Ohio
fell to -18 °F, which was at the time a record.
The mass moved east and south during the day on January 20, resulting in frigid air for most of the Eastern Seaboard
starting on the morning of January 21. New York City
's Central Park
recorded a low of -2 °F, breaking a record for that date. Washington National Airport set a record of -4 °F for the morning of January 21; it also set a record low for the date before (-2 °F). It was the Southern United States
, however, that felt the biggest brunt of the system, as they usually are not accustomed to winter air the same way Northern states are. Roanoke, Virginia
set a record low of -11 °F, with the campus of the University of Tennessee
at Knoxville
registering a low of -24 °F. Tennessee's state capital, Nashville
, dropped to -17 °F, while all-time records were set well into interior sections of the deep South, such as (-5 °F in Charlotte, North Carolina
, -6 °F in Macon, Georgia
, 7 °F (-13.9 °C) in Jacksonville, Florida
, and 10 °F (-12.2 °C) in Gainesville, Florida
). Atlanta, Georgia
, saw a low of -8 °F, setting a record for the month of January. Even Miami, Florida
, whose average low in late January is 60 °F (15.6 °C), recorded a low of 34 °F (1.1 °C) on the 21st and 30 °F (-1.1 °C) on the 22nd, marking only the third time the city had seen sub-freezing temperatures.
The record-breaking cold showed up again in February 1985, which saw two more state record lows in the Mountain West. Utah's -69 °F was the second-coldest temperature ever recorded in the "lower 48" states, just above Montana's record of -70 °F in 1954.
crop in Florida was destroyed in what the state called the "Freeze of the Century." Florida's citrus industry suffered $1.2 billion in losses ($2.3 billion in 2009 dollars) as a result of the inclement weather. The public inauguration of President Ronald Reagan
for his second term was held in the Capitol Rotunda instead of outside due to the cold weather, canceling the inaugural parade in the process. (Because Inauguration Day fell on a Sunday, Reagan took a private oath on January 20 and the semi-public oath on January 21.)
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Polar vortex
A polar vortex is a persistent, large-scale cyclone located near one or both of a planet's geographical poles. On Earth, the polar vortices are located in the middle and upper troposphere and the stratosphere...
further south than is normally seen. Blocked from its normal movement, polar air from the north pushed into nearly every section of the eastern half of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, shattering record lows in a number of areas. Note the event was preceded by unusually warm weather in the eastern U.S. in December 1984, suggesting that there was a build-up of cold air that was suddenly released.
Meteorological synopsis
From Sunday, January 20 to Tuesday, January 22, 1985, the polar vortex, coupled with a large ridge of high pressure, moved polar air into the United States as far south as Florida. Unlike most cold air systems, a pattern of self-modification did not immediately occur, meaning seasonable temperatures were absent for a number of days, a rarity in forecasting.The Arctic air mass started moving into the United States on the evening of January 19 and the morning of January 20. An early victim of the air mass was the city of Chicago, Illinois, which recorded a record low of -27 °F, coupled with 25 miles per hour (11.2 m/s) winds to produce a wind chill
Wind chill
Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...
of -77 °F, also never recorded before. St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
saw a low of -18 °F. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
woke up that morning to find a low of -18 °F, the coldest morning since 1899. In Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, the morning temperature of -21 °F tied for the fourth-lowest minimum temperature in the city's history, only outdone by a cold mass the year before and a blizzard in 1977. Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
fell to -18 °F, which was at the time a record.
The mass moved east and south during the day on January 20, resulting in frigid air for most of the Eastern Seaboard
Eastern seaboard
An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:* East Coast of Australia* East Coast of the United States* Eastern Seaboard of Thailand-See also:...
starting on the morning of January 21. New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
recorded a low of -2 °F, breaking a record for that date. Washington National Airport set a record of -4 °F for the morning of January 21; it also set a record low for the date before (-2 °F). It was the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, however, that felt the biggest brunt of the system, as they usually are not accustomed to winter air the same way Northern states are. Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
set a record low of -11 °F, with the campus of the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
at Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
registering a low of -24 °F. Tennessee's state capital, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, dropped to -17 °F, while all-time records were set well into interior sections of the deep South, such as (-5 °F in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, -6 °F in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, 7 °F (-13.9 °C) in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, and 10 °F (-12.2 °C) in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
). Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, saw a low of -8 °F, setting a record for the month of January. Even Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, whose average low in late January is 60 °F (15.6 °C), recorded a low of 34 °F (1.1 °C) on the 21st and 30 °F (-1.1 °C) on the 22nd, marking only the third time the city had seen sub-freezing temperatures.
The record-breaking cold showed up again in February 1985, which saw two more state record lows in the Mountain West. Utah's -69 °F was the second-coldest temperature ever recorded in the "lower 48" states, just above Montana's record of -70 °F in 1954.
Impact and aftermath
The effects of the outbreak were damaging. At least 126 deaths were blamed on the cold snap, and 90 percent of the citrusCitrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
crop in Florida was destroyed in what the state called the "Freeze of the Century." Florida's citrus industry suffered $1.2 billion in losses ($2.3 billion in 2009 dollars) as a result of the inclement weather. The public inauguration of President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
for his second term was held in the Capitol Rotunda instead of outside due to the cold weather, canceling the inaugural parade in the process. (Because Inauguration Day fell on a Sunday, Reagan took a private oath on January 20 and the semi-public oath on January 21.)
U.S. State Record Lows set in 1985
source:http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113527.html
- Colorado: -61F Feb 1 1985
- North Carolina: -34F Jan 21 1985
- South Carolina: -19F Jan 21 1985
- Utah: -69F Feb 1 1985
- Virginia: -30F Jan 22 1985