1911–12 United States cold wave

Weather event in the United States May 2025 February 2025 thumb|Cartoon by Charles L. Bartholomew The 1912 United States cold wave was one of the coldest periods since 1870 in the Northern United States, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. The cold wave started in November 1911 and finally ended in March 1912, with periodic interruptions by milder temperatures. November 1911–January 1912 thumb|Headline from the January 13, 1912, Ypsilanti Daily Press The cold wave began in November 1911 when the Great Blue Norther dropped temperatures abruptly. It was the coldest November on record in the contiguous U.S., with an average temperature of 37.27 °F 2,Contiguous U.S. Average Temperature Rankings, November 1911 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/national/rankings/110/tavg/191111 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information while December was relatively mild.Contiguous U.S. Average Temperature Rankings, December 1911 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/national/rankings/110/tavg/191112 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information January 1912 was the seventh-coldest January on record in the contiguous U.S.Contiguous U.S. Average Temperature Rankings, January 1912 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/national/rankings/110/tavg/191201 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information The states of Michigan,Michigan Average Temperature Rankings, December 1911 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/rankings/20/tavg/191112 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information Wisconsin,Wisconsin Average Temperature Rankings, December 1911 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/rankings/47/tavg/191112 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information and MinnesotaMinnesota Average Temperature Rankings, December 1911 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/rankings/21/tavg/191112 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information had their coldest Januaries on record. Minneapolis/Saint Paul endured a record-setting 186 consecutive hours of below 0 °F 2 temperatures, from 8 pm on December 31 until 1 pm on January 8. After only four hours above 0 F, the temperature again dropped below zero, this time for 121 consecutive hours, until 10 am on January 13.http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/zero_and_below_streaks.html Extended Periods of Below Zero in the Twin Cities Minnesota Department of Natural Resources December 27, 2017 January 30, 2018 Sioux Falls, South Dakota dropped to -38 °F 1 on January 12, which tied the city's third-lowest temperature since records started in 1893.http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=fsd NOAA Online Weather: Lowest Min Temperature by Day for Sioux Falls Area, SD National Weather Service Forecast Office, Sioux Falls, SD January 30, 2018 After originating in the Arctic, this very cold air mass moved south. When it reached the northern U.S., much of the area experienced dangerous wind chills. The cold wave reportedly killed 47 Americans during its first two weeks.http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10197800 COLD WAVE IN AMERICA The Mercury Hobart, Tasmania, Australia January 10, 1912 5 January 28, 2018 National Library of Australia The cold was so severe that Niagara Falls froze over completely at one point, forming an ice bridge.1911 : the year Niagara froze, ZME Science, January 27, 2021 February–March 1912 February 1912 was less extreme. It was the 24th-coldest February on record for the contiguous U.S.Contiguous U.S. Average Temperature Rankings, February 1912 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/national/rankings/110/tavg/191202 2023-01-21 National Centers for Environmental Information March 1912 was the second-coldest March on record for the contiguous U.S.,https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/us/110/0/tavg/1/3/1895-2017?base_prd=true&firstbaseyear=1895&lastbaseyear=2000 Contiguous U.S., Average Temperature, March National Centers for Environmental Information January 28, 2018 with widespread heavy snowfalls.January 2018 Williston, North Dakota had its coldest March on record from 1895 through 2017.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/us/32/USW00094014/tavg/1/3/1895-2017?base_prd=true&firstbaseyear=1895&lastbaseyear=2000 Williston, North Dakota, Average Temperature, March National Centers for Environmental Information January 28, 2018 1912 climate In the contiguous U.S., the average daily maximum temperature for 1912 was 61.97 °F 2, which is the lowest ever recorded from 1895 through 2025.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/us/110/0/tmax/12/12/1895-2017?base_prd=true&firstbaseyear=1901&lastbaseyear=2000 Contiguous U.S., Maximum Temperature, January—December National Centers for Environmental Information February 20, 2026 The year's average daily temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 50.23 °F 2, which is the second-lowest ever recorded during those years and slightly warmer than 1917's 50.06 °F 2.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/us/110/0/tavg/12/12/1895-2017?base_prd=true&firstbaseyear=1895&lastbaseyear=2000 Contiguous U.S., Average Temperature, January—December National Centers for Environmental Information January 28, 2018 Aftermath The United States Department of Agriculture reported that a freeze in late-December caused $6 million in damages ($ million today) to the California citrus industry. The department also claimed that its frost warnings prevented an additional $14 million in damages ($ million today).https://books.google.com/books?id=xWvbli-hikoC&pg=PA37 January 27, 2018 Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1912 United States Department of Agriculture 1913 37 These cold waves led to the first use of electric heaters and special sheds to protect against frosts and freezes.Rolfs P. H. 1913-07-09 Culture, Fertilization, and Frost Protection of Citrus Groves in the Gulf States https://archive.org/details/sim_farmers-bulletin_1913_542/page/12/mode/2up Farmer's Bulletin 542 12 Internet Archive References 2 External links Monthly Weather Review, 1912, NOAA. Category:Meteorological events in 1911 Category:20th-century cold waves Category:Meteorological events in 1912 Category:1912 natural disasters cold cold 1912