Today in New York City Weather History: January 13

1918 (Sunday)

In a span of little more than 24 hours the temperature plummeted from 53° yesterday at 6:30 AM to 6° above zero this morning at 8:00.  This was the tenth low in the single digits or colder in the past 30 days - and there would be ten more to come in the next six weeks. 

 

1939 (Friday)

Beginning mid-afternoon, a snowfall of 8.8" (1.0" of it fell on 1/14) tied the Thanksgiving snowstorm of 11/24-25 as the biggest snowfall of the season.  (This is the biggest snowfall to occur on any Friday the 13th.) 

1964 (Monday)

Snow that began falling late on the 12th continued for much of the day today.  By the time it ended at around 11 PM, 12.5" had accumulated.  Temperatures were very cold, ranging between 18° and 22°, then dropping into the frigid low teens in the last hours of the storm.  Besides the cold and snow, high winds gusted over 40 mph, producing wind chills around 0° (and drifts of two to three feet).  This blast of winter came after a week-and-a-half of mild temperatures to start the year.  

 

1981 (Tuesday)

Today's high temperature was 22°, the fifth day in a row in which the high was 25° or colder. 

1982 (Wednesday)

A late afternoon/nighttime snowstorm that dumped 5.8" on New York was the same winter system that affected Washington, DC earlier in the afternoon when an Air Florida jet crashed into the Potomac River minutes after takeoff, killing 78.  Today's snowfall was the last time measurable snow fell on this date (through 2026).   

 

2000 (Thursday)

After a very mild first half of the month, in which temperatures averaged 12 degrees above average, Arctic air swooped in during the day and the second half of January would be very cold, with temperatures eight degrees below average (high 29°/low 15°). 

2003 (Sunday)

Today's high of 40° was the mildest reading during the twenty-two days between Jan. 11 and Feb. 1.  During this three-week period temperatures were ten degrees colder than average. 

2018 (Saturday)

Between 6-10 AM the temperature nosedived from 58° to 28°, and by midnight it had fallen to 19° (and by 6 AM on 1/14 the temperature had fallen to 15°).  This somewhat mirrored the plummeting temperature on this date 100 years ago.