February 17 Weather History

...1748... It was the coldest colonial day in the South with a reading of 10 degrees at Charleston, South Carolina.

...1896... The low temperature at Newport, Rhode Island plummeted to 9 degrees below zero, breaking the record of 12 degrees set in 1894.

...1902... The barometric pressure fell to 28.71 at Newport, Rhode Island, setting the record low for the date.

...1930... Eureka CA reported an all-time record high of 85 degrees, a record which lasted until September of 1983.

...1936... The temperature at McIntosh SD plunged to 58 degrees below zero to establish a state record.

...1958... The greatest snowstorm of the mid 20th century struck the northeastern U.S. The storm produced 30 inches of snow in interior New England, including more than 19 inches in 24 hours at the Boston Airport. The same storm produced up to three feet of snow in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region, with 14 inches at Washington D.C., and 15.5 inches at Baltimore MD. The storm resulted in 43 deaths and 500 million dollars damage over the Middle Atlantic Coast States.

...1976... The high temperature at Newport, Rhode Island peaked at 60 degrees, breaking the previous record of 51 degrees set in 1921.

...1987... A couple of winter storms, one off the Atlantic coast and another over the south central U.S., produced snow and ice from the Mississippi Valley to the Mid Atlantic Coast Region. Freezing rain produced a coat of ice three inches thick in northern South Carolina, and 30,000 homes around Pee Dee were left without electricity. Parts of south central Kentucky were without electricity for three days following the storm, which was their worst in 35 years.

...1988... Santa Ana winds in southern California gusted to 63 mph at Ontario. Heavy snow blanketed parts of Colorado, with 11 inches reported at Strontia.

...1989... Low pressure off the Washington coast produced more than a foot of snow in the Cascade Mountains, and more than three inches of rain along the Northern Pacific Coast. Spokane WA was blanketed with 13 inches of snow. Cold arctic air in the Upper Midwest produced all-time record high barometric pressure readings of 31.10 inches at Duluth MN, 31.09 inches at Minneapolis MN, and 31.21 inches at Bismarck ND.

...1990... The biggest winter storm of the season hit the Pacific Coast Region. In northern California, snow fell along the coast, and two day totals in the mountains ranged up to 67 inches at Echo Summit. Snowfall totals in the mountains of southern California ranged up to 48 inches at Green Valley, with 46 inches reported at Big Bear. Up to two feet of snow blanketed the southern Cascade Mountains of Oregon, and 20 to 35 inches were reported in the northern Cascades of Oregon. Up to ten inches of snow blanketed Seattle WA.

...2003... The Blizzard of '03, also known as The President's Day Storm II, began on this day and continued into the 18th. Very heavy snows occurred over the Mid Atlantic and Northeast. Both Baltimore, Maryland and Boston, Massachusetts set all-time single storm snowfall records with 28.2 and 27.5 inches, respectively. Highest snow totals were 44 inches at Keyser Ridge, Maryland and 40 inches at Champion, Pennsylvania. Other totals included 19.8 inches at New York City, 18.7 inches at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 16.7 inches at Washington, DC, 16.7 inches at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 10.4 inches, set in 1903. and 15.1 inches at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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