January 17, 1977

[Tstormwatcher]

I just noticed that there were numerous record lows established on this date in the midatlantic region. Was this just a big arctic outbreak or was there a snowstorm that hit this area. I was only 13 and don't remember much from this date.

[george_r_1961]

I was 16 and remember it was so cold here schools had to be closed because it was impossible to heat them properly. I do not recall if there was any snow or not I do remember the cold.

[Burn1]

I was 14 and living in Fort Lauderdale....2 days later on the 19th it snowed in Fort Laud..... I remember it well!

[Miss Mary]

Well, here in the Ohio valley we had 3 days in a row, with actual low temps of -25, -25 and -24. One day it didn't get higher than -11 I believe. I wonder if one of these dates is the one you're referring to. It was just one aspect of brutal winter wx from what I'll always remember - the Ohio river froze over one of those winters too (1976, 1977).

Do you have a link for that date?

[aggiecutter]

I dont remember January 17th, 0f 77 in particular, but I am sure it was very cold that day as that was a very cold winter around here. However, on this date back in 1982, it got down to 7 below zero here in Texarkana. That is the coldest reading I can remember since I have been living here.

Link to the record:
http://www.intellicast.com/IcastPage/Lo ... dnav=Today

[Lindaloo]

Snowed here in Pascagoula too. We were out making snow angels and there were snow drifts hanging off the roof. My Mother took pictures but they were ruined because of flood water.

[JQ Public]

yeh i think it was just a huge artic outbreak. it brought records all over the us. the snow was just a by product of the cold.

[tropicana]

JANUARY 18 and 19 1977

The winter had already been abnormal -- the coldest on record in the eastern U.S.

On January 18th, one to two inches of snow fell around Pensacola, as bitterly cold air channeled from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico between a strong Nor'easter and a huge Arctic High. By midnight, every north and central Florida weather station echoed the word "snow."

The South Florida weather forecast made national and international headlines. And why not? It had never snowed, according to the historical record, south of a line from Fort Myers on the west coast to Fort Pierce on the east.

But at 6:10 a.m. on January 19, West Palm Beach reported falling snow. An hour later an amended Miami forecast included a likelihood of snow; the first snow forecast ever issued for the city.

In midmorning, snow reports came from Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Homestead, 23 miles southwest of Miami. While the Miami international Airport never officially reported snow, there were public sightings of the unusual precipitation and radar picked up echoes from snow falling around the city.

Most South Florida children had never seen snow. School principal Mary Crum said, "They were ecstatic, running around with their tongues out, trying to catch the snow in their mouths."

The banner headline from The Miami Herald announced the event in a size usually reserved for declarations of war.

-justin-

[GeneratorPower]

EHHHHHH! I remember back in ol' 77 when we had to defrost the freezer after a long hot summer. Talk about an ice storm! You shoulda seen...uh...wait. That was yesterday! Ehhhh!

[Ptarmigan]

1977 was quite an interesting year meteorologically. Also, worldwide, hurricane season was below average, especially in the Atlantic and East Pacific.