Winter 1985 cold wave
The cold wave in January 1985 was a meteorological event, which affected large parts of the United States and Canada. This cold air Arctic origin was transported far to the south. This affected almost all areas of the North American East Coast and Canada, where there was minimum temperatures that reached record levels. It is noteworthy that the cold wave was preceded by an unusually warm December 1984.
Meteorological situation
From Saturday, January 20 until Monday, January 22, 1985, the polar vortex was able to steer along with a large-scale anticyclone polar air in large parts of the eastern United States. The air reached on 21 January and 22 January, the American South and caused a drop in temperature. On 19 January 1985, the cold air reached the city of Chicago as one of the first cities in the United States. There -33 ° C were measured in the night. For this, a wind was blowing at 11 m / s, which caused a wind chill temperature of -61 ° C - a record unbroken to this day. After a correction in the calculation of wind chill temperature in 2001 a wind chill temperature of -60 ° C could be calculated for that night in Chicago.
In St. Louis and Pittsburgh, the thermometer fell to -28 ° C, -29 ° C. in Cincinnati on In further south Memphis -20 ° C was measured. -31 ° C, on 21 January 1985 in the small town of Akron measured in the state of Ohio. On the way south, they also brought the countries along the Atlantic coast places very low temperatures. In Central Park in New York of January 21 -19 ° C were measured in the morning, in Washington DC -20 ° C.
The eastern southern states were on the cold air far less prepared than the north. In Nashville, the thermometer fell to -27 ° C, but this is not an all-time record. This was measured especially in more southern regions. Charlotte reported with -21 ° C as well as a record Macon, Georgia, also with -21 ° C. Even in Florida was not the cold air to a standstill and caused in Jacksonville for -14 ° C and -12 ° C in Gainesville for In South Florida, a temperature was at the airport in Miami on the morning of 22 January 1985 -1 ° C for the first time since 1977, again measured in the freezing range.
Impact and damage
Because of the cold wave, at least 126 people were killed. 90 % of the citrus orchards in Florida fell victim to the frost. This alone caused a loss of $ 1.2 billion. Because of the cold wave, the inauguration of re-elected U.S. president Ronald Reagan was hampered. The obligatory parade was canceled due to the cold weather.
Further development
A week later, in early February 1985, a new cold wave reached this time the more westerly parts of the United States. This mainly affected the states of Montana and Utah and Colorado. Again Allzeittiefstwerte was reached. In the state of Utah, there was on 1 February 1985 with -56 ° C, the zweitkälteste ever on the territory of the United States outside of Alaska measured temperature.