Extreme Cold in Virginia, January 27 to 29, 2000

High pressure was located directly over the Mid-Atlantic region between the 27th and 29th. The combination of clear skies, calm winds, and a snowpack led to extremely cold temperatures . On the 27th, a 59-year-old woman was found dead in the parking lot of a shopping center in Fairfax, and apparent victim of hypothermia. Temperatures were in the teens at dawn on the 27th and only reached the low 20s by early afternoon. On the morning of the 28th and 29th, the mercury dropped into the single digits above and below zero in many locations. Low temperatures from the 28th included 13 degrees at Dulles International Airport, 0 degrees in Fredericksburg and Waynesboro, 5 degrees in Culpeper, 7 degrees in Harrisonburg, 14 degrees in Winchester and Washington Reagan National Airport, 10 degrees in Staunton, -7 degrees in Elkton, and -3 degrees in Mustoe. Low temperatures from the 29th included 8 degrees at Dulles International Airport, 1 degree in Fredericksburg and Luray, 9 degrees in Front Royal, -1 degree in Waynesboro, 6 degrees in Culpeper, 11 degrees in Winchester, 12 degrees at National Airport, 8 degrees in Staunton, -4 degrees in Tye River, and -2 degrees in Mustoe.