Living in the northern United States, we are no stranger to extremely cold air. As the most recent examples of February 2021 and December 2022 have shown us, it can be COLD! Even with the recent cold air events, none can compare to the scope and intensity of the cold wave which impacted the United States in 1899. The last February of the 19th century was marked by some of the coldest temperatures experienced in the United States, where Los Angeles and Miami dropped below freezing, and some states shattered all-time records. In this week's installment of This Week In WX History, grab a warm drink and bundle up as we look at the great freeze of 1899.
COLD AIR OUTBREAKS: WHAT ARE THEY?
The term polar vortex is one that has been in increased usage recently in weather discussions and on the media. Despite the term sometimes being overused, the polar vortex is a real meteorological phenomenon that exists in the upper atmosphere near the north pole. This phenomenon is year-round, but it weakens in the summer and intensifies in the winter. While it remains mostly contained in northern Canada, occasionally a piece of the energy can break off and dive southward into the United States. While the arctic air outbreaks in the US is not necessarily the polar vortex, the air comes from the region where it exists.
THE FOREBEARER
In the final days of January 1899, the first of several systems began to form over western Canada. A reservoir of arctic air was slowly building over western Canada, with persistent clear and quiet conditions allowing for that arctic air to build up over several days. Temperatures throughout the month of January in the United States were quite mild, with many locations experiencing above average temperatures for the majority of the month. In Omaha, high temperatures were largely above freezing, with a few days even reaching the 50s.
By the 1st of February, the foretaste of the brutally cold conditions began to sink into the western United States. The jet stream began to dive southward, known as a trough, over the western United States. Many states along the Pacific felt the first blast of the arctic air surge through. Seattle, WA reached a low of 12 degrees; Portland, OR hit 9 degrees; Boise, ID fell as low as -9 degrees, while Los Angeles reached 33 degrees. This cold air in the western US was short lived, as the trough continued to deepen further into the second week of February as it took aim on the central US.
THE CHRONOLOGY
FEBRUARY 6: February 6 would be the last day Omaha reached a high of the teens for the next week. The high temperature in Omaha was 14 degrees above zero, nowhere near warm, but with what the city would experience in the coming days it would feel quiet warm.
FEBRUARY 7: The 7th began the first surge of arctic air into the Omaha area. After reaching a low of -14 degrees, temperatures only climbed to near 7 degrees by the afternoon. Further to the south, the first of several low-pressure systems developed over Georgia, bringing snow from the Carolinas into the northeast, bringing over 10" of snow from Washington D.C. to Boston by the end of February 8th.
FEBRUARY 8: By February 8, the coldest weather of the first wave settled over the Omaha metro. Temperatures on the morning dove to -21 degrees, and temperatures did not improve during the day. The high temperature of -14 degrees is tied for the coldest high temperature in Omaha on record, with the low of -21 it is the coldest day on record for Omaha! Elsewhere, the northeast was hit with the first of its two big snowstorms as the cold air continued to sink in.
FEBRUARY 9: The stretch of below zero temperatures held for Omaha as lows bottomed out at -23, and the high only reached -3 degrees. The worst of the cold wave had moved east by that point, but Omaha would brace for a second round of brutal arctic air beginning the next day.
FEBRUARY 10: The thermometer finally climbed above zero on the afternoon of February 10, reaching a high of 5 degrees in Omaha. Many felt the worst of the cold wave was over, but in fact it was only beginning. An area of light snow moved through on the 10th, only bringing a half inch of snow. By 8pm the temperature had fallen back below zero, and would crash overnight. Alongside the cold air was gusty winds out of the northwest, with some wind gusts upwards of 40-50mph at times based on analysis at the time.
FEBRUARY 11: The low temperature in Omaha on the morning of the 11th was -26 degrees, which would be the third coldest temperature on record for the Omaha area. Combined with wind gusts only up to 30mph, the wind chill in Omaha easily fell below -50, with the possibility of reaching as low as -70 to -80 if the winds were stronger. Although we cannot definitely say, this is likely the coldest feels-like temperature in the history of the city. Temperatures during the day only reached -12, with wind chills below -30 for much of the day.
FEBRUARY 12: Omaha dropped to -22 degrees by the morning of February 12, but luckily the worst of the cold wave was beginning to move away. The high would only make it to -3. To the south, the final blockbuster storm system developed over the Gulf Coast. Combining with the cold air surging southward, a significant snow event set up along the Gulf Coast. 2-3 inches of snow blanketed New Orleans, LA; Mobile, AL; and Pensacola, FL. Tampa, FL picked up a trace of snow, the first time snow was recorded in the city's history.
FEBRUARY 13: For Omaha, the cold wave was mainly over. Despite starting the day at -9, the high on Feb. 13 was 22 degrees, meaning the worst was over. By February 14, Valentine's Day, temperatures actually rose above average with 44 degrees. To the east, the northeast experienced a blizzard of epic proportions blanketing DC to New York City with over a foot of snow, some locations in New Jersey seeing over 2' of snow! The 13th was also the coldest day for the southeast, with temperatures below zero going as low as northern Florida!
AFTERMATH AND IMPACT
After February 14 the worst was over for the United States, and the pattern flipped to many locations experiencing above average temperatures! When it was all said and done, many cities across the eastern US shattered low temperature records, many of which still stands today. As for Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, and Nebraska the statewide coldest temperature was reached on this day. In Nebraska, it was -47 in Bridgeport not too far from Scottsbluff in the Panhandle, wind chills likely exceeded -100 in the city as winds upwards of 40mph slammed the region.
For a large part of the country, February 1899 was the coldest February on record, which still stands today. In Nebraska, this was beaten by February 1936 (hint hint...).
When it was all done, over 100 people were killed in the blizzards or cold across the country. There is no record of the death toll across Nebraska or Iowa, but it is certainly possible people froze to death. Infrastructure was halted, and many crops were decimated. Bird populations, which migrated to the southeast, were also wiped out. In Tennessee, bird populations were so low new species had to be imported to restore the ecosystem to previous levels. In perspective, February 1899 was one of the coldest weeks in US history, creating a legacy which stands to this day.
