Record Low Temperature of Five Degrees Below Zero Set on This Date in 1957

A record low temperature of -5 degrees was established on this date in 1957 at Bridgeport. Take a look at the front page of The Bridgeport Post from Thursday, January 15, 1957. Please click the image below to enlarge.

According to the article, "An Arctic cold wave held the area in an icy grip as the U. S. Weather Station at the Bridgeport Municipal Airport, Stratford, reported a reading of five degrees below zero, its lowest since the facility was established in 1938."

The article states, "A check of low temperatures around Fairfield County upheld Sandy Hook as the most popular spot for snowmen with a reading of 18 degrees below zero reported. Unofficial lows in other sections are as follows: New Milford -17, Newtown and Stevenson -14, Easton and Botsford -12, Monroe -10 & -15, Weston -12, Fairfield -7 to -12, Danbury -11, Norwalk and Stratford -5, and Westport and Milford -4."

Paul

Wild Weather Happened Seven Years Ago This Week

A Dense Fog Advisory was issued early this morning for near-zero visibility. Temperatures were in the mid-to-upper 40s at daybreak, and some showers will linger through mid-to-late morning. However, things were quite different seven years ago this week. An incredible stretch of weather brought just about everything, except the kitchen sink, to southwestern Connecticut.

In fact, several storms brought heavy rain, accumulating snow, damaging winds, and dangerous icing to southwestern Connecticut over a three-day period which began on Saturday, January 14, 2006, and continued through the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Monday, January 16, 2006. The wild weather ride actually didn't end until nearly a week later.

I recorded the following entries in my weather log, which I chart daily. Although most days are rather mundane, I highlighted these three days for obvious reasons. The weekend included record-high temperatures, record rainfall, tropical storm force winds, bitter cold wind chills below zero, icy roadways, and three-and-a-half inches of snow.

Saturday, January 14, 2006 --- A powerful Winter storm came barreling into the Northeast, producing record heavy rainfall of 1.59 inches, which broke the old mark of 0.91 inches, established in 1958. Strong southerly winds ahead of a well-defined cold front (51 miles-an-hour wind gust) brought down trees and power lines, and mild temperatures (56 degrees at 7:53 am) began a 36-hour stretch of severe weather across southwestern Connecticut.



I took each of these photos of the damage in my neighborhood from the storms. The first two show a truck and a car which were destroyed by falling trees in 50+ mile-an-hour wind gusts from January 14.



Sunday, January 15, 2006 --- Continued strong wind gusts (48 miles-an-hour) out of the North behind the front delivered much colder air (32 degree high and 11 degree low), and 3.5 inches of snow, creating a nightmare for local residents as power outages, below zero wind chills, and icy roadways punctuated the day's weather. The damage from the wind was extensive, as evidenced by the many trees which came tumbling down.



Monday, January 16, 2006 --- Bitter cold wind chills greeted early-morning risers as temperatures hovered between zero and ten degrees at daybreak. The high (29 degrees) and low (10) were well below normal for mid-January. Although the wind began to relax somewhat, we still had a peak wind gust of 31 miles-an-hour. United Illuminuating crews were out in full force attempting to restore power to many residents who were braving the ice, wind, and extreme cold for several days.



Personally, what I remember most from that weekend was losing power Saturday night, January 14, while my son and I were watching the New England Patriots' playoff game at Denver. We awoke to frigid, snowy, and icy conditions the following morning. However, fortunately for us, we were one of only a handful of families in our neighborhood to have power restored late the following morning. The majority of homes in our neighborhood remained without power for several days.

Paul

Greenwich Point Photos at Sunset

Take a look at these photos taken late yesterday afternoon at Greenwich Point. Viewer Hilkka Schulz of Stamford wrote, "The weather tonight was cold, but there was extremely clear visibility. The attached photos were taken at Greenwich Point at sunset. You can see the skyline of New York in the horizon." These are great, Hillka. Thank you.

Paul

Roger Ludlowe Middle School's Sixth-Graders Shine as Weekly Weatherkids Stars

I visited with the sixth-graders at Roger Ludlowe Middle School in Fairfield this week. They thoroughly enjoyed the program, especially the experiments, trivia, and prizes.



"Thank you for your visit yesterday," wrote sixth-grade Science and Language Arts teacher Cynthia Fryman. "The students loved the experiments and of course being on TV."

I also had a blast with the kids. They were great!

Paul

Take Precautions When Walking on Snow & Ice

The recent snow a little more than a week ago left icy patches on walkways and driveways, causing tricky footing in the early morning hours. Did you know that "baby boomers," or those between 40 and 59 years of age, are the most prone to falling on ice? They accounted for 30 percent of the emergency room visits. Those who were hospitalized stayed an average of 3.6 days. That's according to a study released by the Canadian Institute for Health Management.

However, older age groups were more likely to be admitted to the hospital, with injuries serious enough to require longer stays. Over one-third of all people hospitalized after falling on ice were 60 to 79 years of age. They were hospitalized for 7.6 days, on average. The elderly stayed in the hospital the longest after a fall on ice. The average stay for those aged 80 and older was 14.5 days.

Dr. Joseph Chen, medical director of the Iowa Spine Research and Rehabilitation Center, suggests wearing appropriate boots. "Snow boots, even though they can track mud into your house, provide a lot more traction for your feet than do dress shoes or even tennis shoes," he said. "Take shorter steps, and try to plant your whole foot gently down instead of using the typical heel strike that we use when we're walking or running," he added.

If you do fall on the ice and know immediately you have hurt your back, Chen says you should slowly try to get up. "It may be a bit more difficult to get up on your hands and knees if there's a large patch of ice. Be extra careful, and then walk slowly, using an extra hand-hold if one is available." Most of the time, falls on the ice lead to a strain of some of the deep muscles in the back. "Try to do some stretching exercises and take it a bit easy for the next few hours," he pointed out. "If you're able to take some Tylenol or ibuprofen, that may be helpful too."

Just one bad fall on ice can have long-term consequences. These include chronic pain in the affected area, a disabling injury that may mean loss of independence, or the fear of another fall, which discourages a healthy, active lifestyle. Fortunately, more melting should occur today through the upcoming weekend as daytime high temperatures climb into the 40s, well above the 37-degree normal this time of the year. Some light rain is likely by Friday, but temperatures will climb into the 50s this weekend.

Paul

Today Marks 17th Anniversary of Blizzard of 1996

I hope you had the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the wonderful January sunshine yesterday. The afternoon high temperature climbed to 43 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, which is six degrees above the normal high for this time of the year. No major storms are expected through this week with daytime high temperatures in the 40s.

It was quite different 17 years ago, though. Did you know that today marks the anniversary of The Blizzard of 1996? That snowstorm still ranks as one of the most memorable in my nearly-18 years of providing the morning weather forecasts at News 12 Connecticut. In fact, it was one of only two times I stayed the night and slept in the weathercenter due to the heavy snow and strong, gusty winds.

The storm actually started late-morning, Sunday, January 7, as light snow overspread the entire Northeast. The snow gradually became heavier through the afternoon, and by evening, roads were just about impassable due to the rapid accumulation. By the time the storm began moving away the following day, nearly two feet of snow blanketed much of southwestern Connecticut.

The two-day snow total at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Statford was 15 inches, including seven inches on January 7 and eight on January 8. That eclipsed the snow total of the so-called March 13, 1993 "Storm of the Century," which was 10.8 inches. Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks received 18.2 inches, just shy of the 21-inch record snowfall at the time, but more than the 14.8 inches just three years earlier.

Central Park in New York City recorded 20.2 inches of snow, making it the third highest snowfall at the time. Staten Island measured more than 27 inches of snow, and  LaGuardia International Airport recorded 24 inches, which exceeded the normal for the entire season of 22.6 inches.

An Arctic air mass covered New England as a massive storm developed over Virginia. The storm was actually energized by a 60-degree surface temperature contrast across western Montana which propelled a 175-mile-an-hour wind in the jet stream southward into the Plains causing the storm to form. This storm eventually brought the heavy snow from western North Carolina to southern New England.

Incredibly, the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains from northern Virginia to Pennsylvania measured more than three feet of snow. The following map shows just how impressive the storm was. Southwestern Connecticut fell within the 15 to 20 inch range as far as total snow accumulations, with the heaviest amounts of 30 inches across southeastern Pennsylvania. The lightest amounts, oddly, fell well to the North.



It's hard to believe that 17 years have passed since the January blizzard of 1996. There aren't any worries about significant snow or Arctic cold over the next few days. In fact, quiet weather is expected the next several days with daytime high temperatures above normal for this time of the year. The next chance of any precipitation happens Friday, and it will be rain instead of snow.

Paul