Birmingham’s Second Coldest Morning (1985)

On the morning of Monday, January 21, 1985, Alabama awoke in a deep freeze. It was -6F at the Birmingham Airport, marking a record low for the date. It is much more than that. It is the second coldest low ever measured officially at Birmingham, coming within just a few degrees of the all time record low of -10 set on February 13, 1899.

Overnight lows across the state included 3F at Mobile, 0F at Montgomery, -8F at Pinson, -10F at Jasper and -11F at both Huntsville and Muscle Shoals. Plumbers were busy answering calls from worried residents who had no water, a sure sign of frozen pipes.

The cold wave was breaking records all across the eastern United States. A remarkable occurrence in North Carolina as the Tar Heel state recorded its coldest reading ever (-34F) at Mt. Mitchell. All time record cold readings at Jacksonville, FL (7F) and Macon, GA (6F).

It was the coldest Inauguration day in history as President Reagan was sworn in for a second term during cold and wind that resulted in wind chill readings of -30F. Many counties in New York were declared disaster areas after days of heavy snow. Forty-seven inches of snow was reported during three days of snow squalls in Buffalo, NY. Snow fell as far south at St. Petersburg, FL. At mid-afternoon, Key West, FL was the only reporting station in the state above freezing!

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