New York, 2015

Extreme Cold in New York, January 7 to 8, 2015

January 7 to 8, 2015 · NWS BTV · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

An arctic cold front pushed across Northern New York during the morning hours of January 7th with plummeting temperatures and brisk, strong winds (15 to 30+ mph) causing dangerously cold wind chills of 25 to 40 degrees below zero during the afternoon of January 7th into the morning hours of January 8th. These dangerously cold wind chills lead to delayed school openings of 2 hours or cancelled…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
9

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 BTV wrote it up.

An arctic cold front pushed across Northern New York during the morning hours of January 7th with plummeting temperatures and brisk, strong winds (15 to 30+ mph) causing dangerously cold wind chills of 25 to 40 degrees below zero during the afternoon of January 7th into the morning hours of January 8th. These dangerously cold wind chills lead to delayed school openings of 2 hours or cancelled classes on the morning of January 8th. Actual minimum ambient temperatures on the morning of January 8th were 15 to 25 below zero across northern New York. Observed wind chills in the mountains ranged from 40 to 70 below zero.

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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 2:54 PM EST, 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 2:54 PM EST, 6 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 7, 12:26 PM EST, 2 hours 34 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 7, 10:47 AM EST, 4 hours 13 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 7, 2:39 PM EST, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
239 PM EST WED JAN 07 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0900 AM     SNOW             2 WNW WEST FOWLER       44.28N  75.50W
01/07/2015  M3.0 INCH        ST. LAWRENCE       NY   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

EVENT NUMBER BTV1500017

SISSON
Local storm report, Jan 7, 2:40 PM EST, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
240 PM EST WED JAN 07 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1252 PM     SNOW             STOWE                   44.47N  72.69W
01/07/2015  M1.1 INCH        LAMOILLE           VT   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

EVENT NUMBER BTV1500018

SISSON
Local storm report, Jan 7, 2:42 PM EST, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
242 PM EST WED JAN 07 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0220 PM     SNOW             4 NNE GREENSBORO        44.63N  72.28W
01/07/2015  M1.8 INCH        ORLEANS            VT   COCORAHS

&&

EVENT NUMBER BTV1500019

SISSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northern St. Lawrence

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern St. Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.501, -75.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 30 below zero in St. Lawrence county, including 28 degrees below zero in Wanakena, 22 below zero in Fine and Brasher Falls, 20 below zero in Ogdensburg and Gouverneur, 19 below zero in Massena and 18 below zero in Canton, Potsdam and Edwards.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southeastern St. Lawrence

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southeastern St. Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.501, -75.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 30 below zero in St. Lawrence county, including 28 degrees below zero in Wanakena, 22 below zero in Fine and Brasher Falls, 20 below zero in Ogdensburg and Gouverneur, 19 below zero in Massena and 18 below zero in Canton, Potsdam and Edwards.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southwestern St. Lawrence

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southwestern St. Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.501, -75.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 30 below zero in St. Lawrence county, including 28 degrees below zero in Wanakena, 22 below zero in Fine and Brasher Falls, 20 below zero in Ogdensburg and Gouverneur, 19 below zero in Massena and 18 below zero in Canton, Potsdam and Edwards.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Franklin

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.593, -74.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 15 below to 25 below zero in Franklin county, including 25 degrees below zero in Saranac Lake, 22 below zero Tupper Lake.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Franklin

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.593, -74.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 15 below to 25 below zero in Franklin county, including 25 degrees below zero in Saranac Lake, 22 below zero Tupper Lake.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Clinton

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Clinton forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.746, -73.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 20 below zero in Clinton county, including 16 degrees below zero in Schuyler Falls and 13 below zero in Plattsburgh. Milder readings along Lake Champlain.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Western Clinton

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Western Clinton forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.746, -73.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 20 below zero in Clinton county, including 16 degrees below zero in Schuyler Falls and 13 below zero in Plattsburgh. Milder readings along Lake Champlain.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Essex

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Eastern Essex forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.117, -73.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 30 below zero in Essex county, including 30 degrees below zero at Whiteface Mountain, 22 below zero in Newcomb, 15 below zero in Keene and Scroon Lake and 13 below zero in Ticonderoga. Milder readings along Lake Champlain.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Western Essex

When
January 7, 3:00 PM EST to January 8, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.117, -73.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures by early evening of January 7th were 5 below to 5 above zero with winds of 15 to 30 mph that created wind chills colder than 20 to 30 below zero through the overnight into the morning hours of January 8th. Actual morning low temperatures on January 8th were 10 below to 30 below zero in Essex county, including 30 degrees below zero at Whiteface Mountain, 22 below zero in Newcomb, 15 below zero in Keene and Scroon Lake and 13 below zero in Ticonderoga. Milder readings along Lake Champlain.

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 2015

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: 547993, 548001, 548002, 548003, 548004, 548005, 548006, 548007, 548008.