Cold in New York, January 6, 1996

Name: Cold in New York, January 6, 1996
Start: 1996-01-06T02:00
End: 1996-01-06T09:00
Location: New York

January 6, 1996 · NWS ALY · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

An arctic airmass settled over eastern New York on the 6th of January bringing extreme cold to the region. A record low was set in Albany with a reading of -19 degrees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ALY wrote it up.

An arctic airmass settled over eastern New York on the 6th of January bringing extreme cold to the region. A record low was set in Albany with a reading of -19 degrees. This broke the old record low of -14 degrees set back in 1972.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Herkimer

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Herkimer forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.661, -74.497 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Herkimer

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Herkimer forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Fulton

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Fulton forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.114, -74.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Montgomery

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.902, -74.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Saratoga

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Saratoga forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.107, -73.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Warren

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Warren forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.561, -73.846 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Washington

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Washington forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.314, -73.431 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Schoharie

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Schoharie forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.588, -74.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Schenectady

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Schenectady forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Schenectady

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Schenectady forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Saratoga

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Saratoga forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.107, -73.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Albany

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Albany forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.600, -73.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Albany

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Albany forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.600, -73.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Rensselaer

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Rensselaer forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.711, -73.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Rensselaer

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Rensselaer forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.711, -73.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Greene

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Greene forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.277, -74.123 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Greene

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Greene forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.277, -74.123 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Columbia

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Columbia forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.250, -73.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Columbia

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Columbia forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.250, -73.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Ulster

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Ulster forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.888, -74.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Ulster

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Ulster forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.888, -74.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Dutchess

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Western Dutchess forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.765, -73.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Dutchess

When: January 6, 2:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Dutchess forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.765, -73.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, January 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5553622, 5553623, 5553624, 5553625, 5553626, 5553627, 5553628, 5553629, 5553630, 5553631, 5553632, 5553633, 5553634, 5553635, 5553636, 5553637, 5553638, 5553639, 5553640, 5553641, 5553788, 5553789, 5553790, 5553791.