Extreme Cold and Cold in Pennsylvania, January 26, 2007

Name: Extreme Cold and Cold in Pennsylvania, January 26, 2007
Start: 2007-01-26T03:00
End: 2007-01-26T09:00
Location: Pennsylvania

January 26, 2007 · NWS PHI · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 10

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 PHI wrote it up.

The combination of a strong northwest flow around an arctic high pressure system and because this high originated near the North Pole produced the coldest morning in two years across eastern Pennsylvania on the 26th. Most low temperatures that morning were in the single numbers, except they were below zero in the Poconos. Wind chill factors were below zero. The hourly wind chill factor at Mount Pocono bottomed at -21F. The extremely cold weather caused many municipalities in and around Philadelphia to declare a code blue. In Philadelphia, for example the cold blue declaration by the city's Office of Shelter Services sets into motion methods to assist the homeless population. Actual low temperatures included -7F at the F.E. Walter Dam on the Carbon/Luzerne County border, -3F in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 3F in Springtown (Bucks County), 4F in West Chester (Chester County), 6F at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 7F in Reading (Berks County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), 8F in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 10F at the Philadelphia International Airport.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 25, 9:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 25, 9:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 25, 4:13 AM EST, 22 hours 47 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
413 AM EST THU JAN 25 2007

NJZ001-PAZ054-055-261100-
SUSSEX-CARBON-MONROE-
413 AM EST THU JAN 25 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE AND
NEW JERSEY, EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER
TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT (UNDER THE HEADER WWUS81) ABOUT
THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW SHOWERS AND SNOW SQUALLS AS WELL AS THE
STRONG WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR EARLY FRIDAY. PLEASE REFER
TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT (UNDER THE HEADER WWUS81) ABOUT
THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS ON FRIDAY ALSO. NO ADDITIONAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME SATURDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

DEZ001>003-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ007>010-012-013-015>023-027-
PAZ060>062-067>071-261100-
NEW CASTLE-KENT DE-INLAND SUSSEX-CECIL-KENT MD-QUEEN ANNES-
TALBOT-CAROLINE-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-
WESTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-
NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-
SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON-CHESTER-
MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-
413 AM EST THU JAN 25 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE AND
NEW JERSEY, EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT (UNDER THE HEADER
WWUS81) ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW SHOWERS AND SNOW SQUALLS INTO
TONIGHT AS WELL AS THE STRONG WINDS, COLD TEMPERATURES AND LOW
WIND CHILL VALUES EXPECTED TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT (UNDER THE HEADER
WWUS81) ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS ON FRIDAY AS WELL AS COLD
TEMPERATURES AND LOW WIND CHILL VALUES FRIDAY MORNING. NO ADDITIONAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME SATURDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

ANZ430-431-450>455-DEZ004-NJZ014-024>026-261100-
DELAWARE BAY WATERS NORTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE-
DELAWARE BAY WATERS SOUTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE-
COASTAL WATERS FROM SANDY HOOK TO MANASQUAN INLET NJ OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM MANASQUAN INLET TO LITTLE EGG INLET NJ OUT
20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM LITTLE EGG INLET TO GREAT EGG INLET NJ OUT
20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM GREAT EGG INLET TO CAPE MAY NJ OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE MAY NJ TO CAPE HENLOPEN DE OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM-
DELAWARE BEACHES-EASTERN MONMOUTH-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-
COASTAL ATLANTIC-COASTAL OCEAN-
413 AM EST THU JAN 25 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE AND
NEW JERSEY, EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT. PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER
STATEMENT (UNDER THE HEADER WWUS81) ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW
SHOWERS AND SNOW SQUALLS INTO TONIGHT AS WELL AS THE STRONG WINDS,
COLD TEMPERATURES AND LOW WIND CHILL VALUES EXPECTED TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT (UNDER THE HEADER
WWUS81) ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS ON FRIDAY AS WELL AS COLD
TEMPERATURES AND LOW WIND CHILL VALUES FRIDAY MORNING. NO ADDITIONAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME SATURDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

TFG

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 25, 9:20 PM EST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Jan 25, 9:20 PM EST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 cold/wind chill, 2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Carbon

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Carbon forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.918, -75.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Monroe

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.058, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Berks

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Berks forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Bucks

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Bucks forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Cold/Wind Chill, Chester

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Chester forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Cold/Wind Chill, Delaware

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Delaware forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 39.917, -75.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lehigh

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Lehigh forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Montgomery

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Cold/Wind Chill, Northampton

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Northampton forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.754, -75.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Philadelphia

When: January 26, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Philadelphia forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.008, -75.134 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
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 Pennsylvania in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, January 2007

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: 12319, 12320, 12321, 12322, 12323, 12324, 12325, 12326, 12327, 12328.