CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK/WKRN) – Heavy snow and plummeting temperatures are already setting in for parts of the U.S., but just how cold has it gotten in all 50 states?
Ohio, for example, recently saw lake-effect snow and frigid single-digit temperatures – far above the state record, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center. On Feb. 10, 1899, Milligan saw temperatures drop to -39 degrees, the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) said.
In West Virginia, the coldest day on record was on Dec. 30, 1917, in Lewisburg – a frigid -37 degrees, which is roughly 50 degrees below last week's averages.
Strangely enough, Tennessee's coldest recorded day is the same as West Virginia's. On Dec. 30, 1917, the temperature plummeted to -32 degrees in Mountain City.
In Kentucky, however, the temperature reached a record low just 30 years ago, with Shelbyville seeing a frigid -37 degrees on Jan. 19, 1994.
In some states, the gap between current and record temperatures is even wider. For instance, Boca, California, sits at over 5,500 feet and is located along the Sierra Nevada mountain range. While highs were in the 50s last week, Boca set a state record Jan. 20, 1937, when the temperature sank to -45 degrees.
Looking back in time, the NCEI said every state but one had its coldest day in the negatives.
The warmest record low in the U.S. happened in Hawaii, confirmed by the Mauna Kea Observatory on the Big Island of Hawaii, was a balmy 12 degrees.
Looking only at the contiguous United States, Montana, had the lowest temperature, -70 on Jan. 20, 1954. The highest was -2 degrees, recorded in Tallahassee, Florida, on Feb. 13, 1899.
So what are the chances of a record being broken in late December or early 2025? According to preliminary forecasts, not great.
In general, this year's winter is projected to be a warmer one for many U.S. states, according to outlooks released by the Climate Prediction Center.