The 1985 North America cold wave was a meteorological event which occurred in January, 1985, as a result of the shifting of the

polar vortex A circumpolar vortex, or simply polar vortex, is a large region of cold, rotating air that encircles both of Earth's polar regions. Polar vortices also exist on other rotating, low-obliquity planetary bodies. The term polar vortex can be used to ...

farther south than is normally seen. Blocked from its normal movement, polar air from the north pushed into nearly every section of the central and eastern half of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, shattering record low temperature records in a number of areas. This was preceded by unusually warm weather in the eastern U.S. in December, 1984, suggesting that there was a build-up of cold air that was suddenly released from the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

, a meteorological event known as a mobile polar high.

Mount Mitchell Mount Mitchell, known in Cherokee as Attakulla, is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern North America. It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina in the Black Mountain su ...

, in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

recorded an all time record low of .

Meteorological synopsis

From Sunday, January 20, 1985 until Tuesday, January 22, 1985, the polar vortex, coupled with a large ridge of

high pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. By ''high pressure'' is usually meant pressures of th ...

, moved polar air into the United States as far south as Arizona, Texas, and northern Florida. Unlike with cold-air systems, a pattern of self-modification did not immediately occur, and seasonable temperatures were absent for a number of days, a rarity in forecasting. The Arctic air mass started moving into the United States on the evening of January 19 and into the morning of January 20, 1985. In

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, a record low of combined with winds, to produce a

wind chill Wind chill or windchill (popularly wind chill factor) is the lowering of body temperature due to the passing-flow of lower-temperature air. Wind chill numbers are always lower than the air temperature for values where the formula is valid. When ...

of . St. Louis, Missouri saw a low of , and

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

had a low of , the coldest morning since 1899.NWA Pittsburgh statistics
/ref> In

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, the morning temperature of tied for the fourth-lowest minimum temperature in the city's history, outdone by a cold mass the year before and a blizzard in 1977.RECORDS FOR CINCINNATI
/ref>

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

fell to , which was at the time a record low.Cleveland Normals and Records for January
/ref>

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

recorded a low of , setting a record low for that day. Virginia's official record low temperature of was also set on this day in

Pembroke, Virginia Pembroke ( ) is a town in Giles County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,128 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg– Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Pembroke is located at (37.321902, -80.6 ...

.USA Today
/ref> As the cold air mass moved southeastward, it modified only slightly, resulting in frigid air for most of the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

starting on the morning of January 21, 1985.

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

recorded a low of , breaking that date's record.CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK CITY RECORDS 1869-2008
/ref> Washington National Airport recorded a low of and Washington Dulles Airport a low of on the morning of January 21.DAILY NORMALS AND RECORDS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY FOR WASHINGTON DC
/ref> Farther south,

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

, set a record low of .

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

dropped to , and

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the stat ...

recorded a record low of . All-time low temperature records were also set well into interior sections of the deep South, such as in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

, where temperatures were recorded as low as ;

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of G ...

, with a record low of ; and

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

with a record low of .

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in ...

, with a low temperature of was its coldest temperature since the

Great Blizzard of 1899 The Great Blizzard of 1899, also known as the Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899 and the St. Valentine's Day Blizzard, was an exceptionally severe winter weather event that affected most of the United States, particularly east of the Rocky Mountains ...

(when it had reached a low of ).

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

saw a low of , setting a record for the month of January as well as for the 20th century, and was only one degree shy of its all-time record (since 1878) set in February 1899.Average Weather for Atlanta, GA
/ref>

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, whose average low in late January is , recorded a record low of on January 21, 1985 and on January 22, 1985.

Impact and aftermath

The cold wave of January 1985 resulted in multiple human fatalities, the deaths of many wild and domesticated animals, massive crop losses, and infrastructure damage to homes, municipality sites and industrial sites. At least 126 deaths were recorded as being due to the cold wave of 1985. Approximately 90% of the

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

crops in Florida were destroyed, in what the state called the "Freeze of the Century," resulting in Florida's citrus industry suffering $1.2 billion in losses ($2.68 billion in 2016 dollars). The second presidential inauguration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan was held in the

United States Capitol Rotunda The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

instead of outside, due to the cold weather, and the inaugural parade was cancelled. Since Inauguration Day fell on a Sunday,

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

took a private oath on January 20, 1985 and the semi-public oath on January 21, 1985.

References

{{Cold wave 1985 natural disasters in the United States 1985 meteorology

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...