On this day in 1970, the cold was extreme. The high of 12 degrees and low of 4 degrees were both the coldest on record for the date.
“Icy cold was in full force yesterday in the Washington area, giving the city its lowest temperature in seven years and its coldest Jan. 9 in 95 years,” The Washington Post reported on its front page. “Electric power supplies here and as far north as New York were threatened.”
The frigid day was part of a bitter start to January in which 22 of the first 24 days were colder than normal.
Here are other notables for the day:
- Average high: 45
- Average low: 30
- Record high: 76 (1937)
- Record low: 4 (1970)
- Record precipitation: 1.87 inches (1879)
- Record snowfall: 2.9 inches (1926)
