One of the coldest days in the Carolinas occurred in January 1985

It may be cold today, but nothing like it was on this day in 1985. According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, one of the most intese arctic outbreaks of the 20th century occurred January 18-22, 1985. This arctic outbreak set all time records for North and South Carolina in just about every city. Mt Mitchell in North Carolina set the all time state record with a temperature of -34 degrees F.

This arctic outbreak was so extreme it caused the inauguration parade for President Reagan’s second term to be canceled with wind chill readings in Washington DC colder than -10 degrees F.

Down in Florida, the cold was so bad, the citrus industry suffered $2.5 billion in loss and was named the “freeze of the century.