...1776... George Washington crossed the ice clogged Delaware River. He marched on Trenton in the midst of snow and sleet thus surprising and capturing many of the British garrison.

...1778... The "Hessian Storm", a severe blizzard, blasted the Northeast from Pennsylvania to New England. Snow drifts were reported as high as 16 feet in Rhode Island. The storm was named for troops occupying Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War.

...1909... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had its biggest snowstorm (until 1983) with 21 inches falling. The Delaware state record was set when 24 inches fell. This was a severe coastal storm New England with record high tides.

...1947... New York City had one of its biggest snowstorms on record with 25.8 inches at the Battery and 26.4 inches at Central Park in 24 hours. 32 inches fell in the suburbs. White Plains, New York had 6 inches of snow in one hour with 19 inches over a 6 hour period. Traffic was completely halted and the snow removal cost was $8 million. 27 people lost their lives in the storm. 9.1 inches fell at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 7 inches, set in 1926.

...1949... The barometer rose to 30.77 inches at Newport, Rhode Island, setting the record high for the date.

...1957... The wind gust at Newport, Rhode Island peaked at 60 miles per hour, breaking the record that was set in 1945.

...1968... The record low wind chill was set at Newport, Rhode Island when it got down to minus 25 degrees below zero. It broke the record of minus 5 degrees below zero set in 1958.

...1980... The low temperature dropped to minus 3 degrees below zero at Newport, Rhode Island typing the record of minus 3 degrees below zero from 1968.

...1982... At Newport, Rhode Island the high temperature peaked at 61 degrees, breaking the record of 57 degrees set in 1978.

...1983... Miami FL established a December record with a morning low of 33 degrees. Just three days earlier, and again three days later, record warm temperatures were reported in Florida, with daytime highs in the 80s.

...1987... Freezing rain plagued parts of the south central U.S., from northwest Texas to southwestern Missouri. Southwestern Missouri was turned into a huge skating rink as roads became sheets of ice. Damage to tree limbs and power lines compared to a hundred tornadoes, and half of the city of Springfield was left without electricity for 24 hours. Snow, sleet and ice covered the northwest two thirds of Oklahoma. 75,000 homes were left without electricity as ice accumulated one to two inches in a 40-mile band from Duncan to Norman to Tulsa to Miami. 25,000 of those homes were still without power a week later. The storm claimed the lives of seven persons. (24th-27th)

...1988... Low pressure produced heavy snow from North Dakota to western sections of the Great Lakes Region, with up to fourteen inches reported in the Chicago area. Cold arctic air hovered over the Plateau Region. Temperatures in the Big Smokey Valley of Nevada plunged to 31 degrees below zero.

...1989... Strong northerly winds behind an arctic cold front produced snow squalls in the Great Lakes Region and dangerous wind chill temperatures in the northeastern U.S. Wind chill readings as cold as 40 degrees below zero were reported in New York State.

...1993... Sault Ste Marie, Michigan plunged to 31 degrees below zero to set a new record low for the month of December for the city. Bitterly cold air was prevalent across the north central U.S. Tower, Minnesota was the cold spot, with a reading of 50 degrees below zero.