Birmingham's Coldest Day Ever

I kept this story that J.B. wrote a couple of years ago about Birmingham coldest ever temperature, which was recorded on this date in 1899.

Birmingham recorded its coldest temperature ever for the city with a reading of –10F. At the time, the observations were taken at the old Fountain Heights weather office. Records were kept in an old beat up journal. Handwritten notes on this date indicated that the temperature in outlying areas around Birmingham was –14F. If the reading had been taken at the current observation post at the airport, it would have surely been –14F. If readings had been kept in Pinson then, (normally coldest in Birmingham area) it is safe to bet that the reading there would have been –17F! Greensboro AL had 5 inches of snow on the ground. Other Alabama lows that cold morning:

-1F in Mobile
-7F in Tuscaloosa, Elba and Opelika
-5F in Greensboro; -1F1 in Florence
-12F in Decatur;
-15F in Oneonta
-16F in Hamilton and Scottsboro
-18F in Valley Head.

Thanks, J.B.

The 1899 cold wave was the greatest ever observed in the United States. Several states recorded record lows that still stand today, including: -2F at Tallahassee, FL; -16F at Minden, LA; -47F at Camp Clarke, NE; -39F at Milligan, OH. Several cities recorded their all time lows, including Washington, D.C. –15F; Pittsburgh –20F; and 15F in Little Rock.