Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for January 4, in any year, each linked to its full record.
Every event with a place, colored by kind. Tap one to open its record.
By deaths, damage and strength together, across every archive.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China. It killed 15,621 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Earthquakes
An earthquake struck Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China. It killed 10,000 people.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck Gunungsitoli, Barus, NW Sumatra, Indonesia. With the tsunami it caused, it killed 2,188 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Tsunamis
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck NW. Sumatra, Indonesia, with a maximum water height of 15 meters. It killed 2,188 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Anderson County, Texas and tracked 17.5 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 15 and injuring 60. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Palestine, TX.
Tornadoes
An F4 tornado touched down in Nacogdoches County, Texas and tracked 20.1 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 10 and injuring 200. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Nacogdoches, TX.
Billion-dollar disasters
A severe storm disaster that cost $1.5 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 12, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from January 4, 2008 to January 9, 2008.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma and tracked 15.1 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 16 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Richville, OK.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Puli, Taiwan. It killed 54 people, injured 85 and destroyed 130 houses.
Volcanoes
Kelud, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. It killed 54 people.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Hardeman, Chester, Henderson counties, Tennessee and tracked 65.5 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Saulsbury/Silerton/Luray to Bargerton, TN.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Angelina, Nacogdoches counties, Texas and tracked 10.4 miles, 880 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 50. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Clawson, TX.
27 on January 4, oldest first.
An F3 tornado touched down in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma and tracked 15.1 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 16 and injuring 20. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Richville, OK.
An F2 tornado touched down in Newton County, Arkansas and tracked 0.9 miles, killing 3 and injuring 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Fallsville, AR.
An F2 tornado touched down in Pulaski County, Arkansas and tracked 1.4 miles, 75 yards wide at its widest, killing 2. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SE Jacksonville, AR.
An F2 tornado touched down in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana and 150 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 5. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NE Thibodaux, LA.
An F2 tornado touched down in Matagorda County, Texas and 150 yards wide at its widest, killing 5 and injuring 14. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Bay City, TX.
An F2 tornado touched down in Escambia County, Florida and tracked 6 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 7. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Pensacola, FL.
An F3 tornado touched down in Hardeman, Chester, Henderson counties, Tennessee and tracked 65.5 miles, 200 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Saulsbury/Silerton/Luray to Bargerton, TN.
An F4 tornado touched down in Anderson County, Texas and tracked 17.5 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 15 and injuring 60. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Palestine, TX.
An F4 tornado touched down in Nacogdoches County, Texas and tracked 20.1 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 10 and injuring 200. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Nacogdoches, TX.
An F3 tornado touched down in Angelina, Nacogdoches counties, Texas and tracked 10.4 miles, 880 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 50. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Clawson, TX.
An F2 tornado touched down in Limestone County, Texas and tracked 6.3 miles, killing 2 and injuring 17. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: St. Paul/Shiloh, TX.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed. One mobile home and three houses were near Sand Flat.
An F1 tornado touched down in Clinton County, Kentucky and tracked 0.3 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 2.
An F1 tornado destroyed a mobile home and parts of a radio station and church in an isolated area along Highway 1590, one half mile west of Albany. The mobile home was thrown over 100 yards and 1 resident was killed and 2 others seriously injured.
As a low pressure system in the northwest Gulf of Mexico moved inland over south central Louisiana, environmental parameters briefly lined up to produce a deadly tornado in New Iberia.
An unrated tornado touched down in Iberia Parish, Louisiana and tracked 15.07 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 15.
During the evening of Jan 4th and early morning hours of Jan 5th, a potent storm system moved across the Lower Mississippi Valley. This system was dynamic enough to generate a line of thunderstorms across Central Mississippi.
An area of low pressure and an associated warm front moved across southeast louisiana during the afternoon and evening hours resulting in the development of strong to isolated severe thunderstorms.
A pre-frontal squall line crossed the area during the afternoon. Enough low level shear was present to form rotating storms across SE Georgia, and combined with elevated low level instability with highs in the upper 70s surface based rotation developed.
A strong upper level trough and cold front moved through the area during the morning and early afternoon hours. A squall line accompanied the front, and a few tornadoes and instances of straight line wind damage were reported.
A strong surface low associated with a deep upper-level trough lifted out of the lower Mississippi Valley and swept across the southern Appalachians the evening of January 3rd through the morning of January 4th producing heavy rain and flash flooding, severe thunderstorms and…
A severe thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours and produced a tornado which caused damage in southwest Alabama.
A severe thunderstorm moving across central Florida produced two tornadoes, one in Okahumpka in Lake County, then another in DeLand in Volusia County.
3 on January 4, oldest first.
Severe Tropical Storm Axel was a moderate tropical storm which affected the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana islands in January 1992. The first tropical depression and storm of the 1992 Pacific typhoon season, Axel developed from a significant equatorial westerly wind burst east of New Guinea, alongside two other cyclones, Betsy and Mark, in the Southern Hemisphere, intensifying at an abnormally low latitude.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tropical Cyclone Heta was at its closest to American Samoa within 150 miles west-southwest of Tutuila on January 4th. Maximum winds recorded was 65 knots at 1242Z on January 5th over the Island of Tutuila.
During January 2009, Fiji was impacted by a series of consecutive weather events, that caused severe flooding in various parts of the island nation. The floods were caused by a number of intense synoptic-scale weather features, which included an active monsoonal trough, the South Pacific Convergence Zone, Tropical Depression's 04F and 05F as well as Tropical Cyclone Hettie.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
29 on January 4, oldest first.
waterspourt observed off sonoma county coast
A strongly baroclinic, southwest-northeast oriented front pulled up stationary over eastern Oklahoma on Jan. 4-5. A series of upper level disturbances in southwest flow aloft caused heavy rains to break out across the region. Rainfall totals of three to six inches were common.
A boy drown in fast-moving flood waters after he jumped off a bridge into a swollen stream.
An arctic cold front moved slowly across the northwestern half of North Texas on the 4th as an upper level disturbance rotated into the Southern Plains. Abundant gulf moisture was drawn into the region ahead of the disturbance and over the front.
Lightning struck and set fire to a house. The house and its contents were destroyed.
A strongly baroclinic, southwest-northeast oriented front pulled up stationary over eastern Oklahoma on Jan. 4. As upper level disturbances moved by in southwest flow aloft, heavy rain developed across parts of eastern Oklahoma.
The grounds were still rather saturated at the start of the New Year from the December heavy rain episodes when from the 1st to the 5th of January another 2-2.5 inches of rain fell across most locales north of Interstate 70 and as much as 5 inches of rain fell south of…
A strong frontal boundary pushed across southeast Ohio late on the 3rd. By dawn on the 4th, the frontal zone stalled just to the south.
A nearly stationary front produced widespread heavy rain across much of southwest, western and central Ohio throughout the day. Many locations received two to four inches of rain, causing widespread flooding of roads and low-lying areas.
This 2-day flood started with the flooding of County Rd 8 east of Adena, and other roads. By 1 PM, Beach Spring Rd flooded 4 miles north of Martins Ferry. By 325 PM, County Rd 150 near Dillonvale was closed by flooding.
It started with Tunnel Rd flooding near Belmont and County Rd 56 flooding near Maynard. By 340 PM, Wheeling Creek flooded from Flushing to Bridgeport. By 4 PM, McMahon Creek flooded SR 149 in Glencoe.
Nearly two inches of rain fell on portions of Wayne County on the 3rd and 4th of January. Officially, 1.46 inches fell at the Wayne County Airport with 1.61 inches at the Ohio Agricultural Experimental Station.
Nearly two inches of rain fell on Holmes County on the 3rd and 4th of January. Widespread lowland flooding occurred across the county during the following days.
This nearly 3-day flood began when Vocation Rd and Frankfort Rd flooded in East Cambridge. At 425 PM, numerous roads near Cambridge flooded. By 930 PM on the 4th, over 50 roads were flooded county-wide. State Routes 66 and 209 were still flooded at 6 AM on the 6th.
Rivers began to rise January 2 because of snow melt and temperatures 20 degrees above normal. Two to 3 inches of rain fell January 3 and 4, causing rivers in Eastern Ohio to rise.
Route 1008 flooded in Indiana. By 915 PM, Routes 22 and 119 were flooded east of Blairsville, after 3 inches of rain. Business and cars were inundated by floods from Two Lick, Yellow, Black Leggs, and Crooked creeks.
Several periods of heavy rain in conjunction with little vegetation over the winter months set the stage for widespread flooding across much of extreme southeast Kansas and southern and central Missouri.
Heavy rain and runoff from snowmelt caused extensive flooding in Wood, Lucas and Ottawa Counties the first half of January. The flooding was most severe along the Maumee and Portage Rivers.
Highway 243 was heavily damaged by a massive rockslide 2 miles north of Pine Cove. Among the mess were three 250-ton boulders which had to be blasted from the road.
Heavy rainfall totals of 2.5 to 5 inches on January 2-4 over southeastern Oklahoma produced riverine flooding in Atoka County. Significant runoff from these heavy rains produced moderate agricultural flooding along Clear Boggy Creek on January 4-8.
By 545 PM on 5th, Killbuck Creek flooded Rte 60 near Warsaw, and Rte 715 was flooded near Walhonding.On the Muskingum River, Coshocton was above flood stage (15 ft), from 330 AM on 4th, all the way into the month of February. Coshocton crested 19.5 ft 4 PM on Jan 12.
A powerful storm swept through all of California with high winds, periods of heavy rain, and locally heavy snow. Strong upslope flow off the Pacific and a high freezing level fueled larged amounts of rainfall on the coastal slopes.
A powerful winter storm moved through the Sierra Nevada and western Nevada from January 4th through the 6th. Up to 10 feet of snow fell in the higher elevations of the Sierra with 1 to 2 feet in western Nevada.
A very strong cyclone slammed into the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas bringing flooding rains, high winds, record high surf and coastal flooding.
Low pressure moving southeastward into central CA from the Pacific Northwest allowed subtropical moisture stream to be pumped into the region bringing heavy rainfall to the San Joaquin Valley and foothill areas. Orographic lifting caused intensification of rains at times.
Low pressure developed off the Florida coast on the 3rd of January before moving north on the 4th. The intense low (956 mb) passed southeast of Nantucket Island during a period of very high astronomical tides.
Low pressure developed off the Florida coast on the 3rd of January before moving north on the 4th. The intense low (956 mb) passed southeast of Nantucket Island during a period of very high astronomical tides. The forecast astronomical tide at Hampton was 10.5 feet.
A large low pressure system brought moderate to heavy precipitation, widespread flooding and strong winds to the area on January 4 and 5.
Between January 1st and January 9th, multiple slow moving troughs moved over American Samoa. 12.41 inches was recorded at WSO Pago Pago. Multiple landslides occurred on Tutuila island on January 9th.
10 on January 4, oldest first.
Strong thunderstorm winds picked up a mobile home and wrapped the mobile home around a tree. A 58 year old white male was killed instantly inside his mobile home. The mobile home was thrown a 100 feet. It was located on Jo Adams Rd. off Highway 49 North.
Severe property damage in Madison near Gallatin Rd. and Myatt Dr.Parts of roofs were ripped off several buildings including the Olive Garden restaurant. About 200 people scurried under tables when the Olive Garden lost part of its roof.
Strong winds accompanied the passage of a cold front across the area during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Trees and power lines were downed by the winds. In Rochester, Monroe County, a smoke stack was blown over.
Choteau 10 NW...damaging winds at Blackleaf...damage as a result of an overturned tractor trailer (trailer unit only) near Bynum...damage to large crop sprinkler units just north of Choteau...damage to windows and trampoline at residence in Choteau.
A deep low pressure system produced damaging winds across extreme southeast Washington. Wind damage was nearly 5 million dollars in Walla Walla County, especially in the Walla Walla and College Place areas.
Gusty south winds developed ahead of an approaching cold front, with the strongest winds across much of western and central Utah.
A couple of isolated severe thunderstorms took down some trees and powerlines in Barnwell and Kershaw counties. Also, a tree in Lexington county fell on a mobile home killing one occupant.
Deepening low pressure tracked from western Lake Erie across far southern Ontario to Quebec dragging a cold front across the region. Strong winds increased to near 60 mph about two to three hours after the cold front passage.
Deep cold air building across the region brought strong, gusty winds to the eastern end of Lake Erie. Winds gusted to between 50 and 60 mph across parts of Erie, Genesee and Chautauqua counties.
Brief high wind occurred at Sandy Point Shores.
60 on January 4, oldest first.
Snowstorm of January 4, 1920 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the South. It lasted from January 4, 1920 to January 10, 1920.
Snowstorm of January 4, 1940 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the South. It lasted from January 4, 1940 to January 8, 1940.
Snowstorm of January 4, 1994 was ranked category 3, Major, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Upper Midwest. It lasted from January 4, 1994 to January 9, 1994.
A major winter storm brought record snowfall to the area. Enhancement off Lake Ontario due to northeast winds brought snowfall amounts of 18-24 inches to the Rochester metro area. A 24 hour snowfall record was set at the Rochester airport.
A major winter storm brought heavy snowfall to the area. In general 16-24 inches of snow fell. School closings were the rule. The winter road conditions were blamed for many automobile accidents, some with injuries.
A major winter storm brought heavy snowfall to the area. In general 16-24 inches of snow fell across the area. Oswego received 21 inches and Fulton 17. School closings were the rule. The winter road conditions were blamed for many automobile accidents, some with injuries.
A major winter storm brought heavy snowfall to the area. In general 12-20 inches of snow fell across the area. Lowville reported 16 inches. School closings were the rule. The winter road conditions were blamed for many automobile accidents, some with injuries.
A major winter storm brought heavy snowfall to the area. In general 16 to 24 inches of snow fell across the area. Fair Haven reported 21 inches. School closings were the rule. The winter road conditions were blamed for many automobile accidents.
A major winter storm brought heavy snowfall to the area. In general 12-20 inches of snow fell across the area. School closings were the rule. The winter road conditions were blamed for many automobile accidents.
The first blizzard of 1997 hit east-central North Dakota on the morning of the 4th. The blizzard was preceeded by freezing rain that lasted most of the day before switching over to snow.
45-55 mph winds created blizzard conditions across northcentral Nebraska. Blowing and drifting snow caused icy roads and visibilities near zero. A storm-related fatality occurred when an 18 year-old male was struck and killed by a passing vehicle.
Winds gusting to 45 mph combined with 2 to 4 inches of new snow and existing loose snow cover to cause widespread blizzard conditions in blowing snow. Visibility was frequently reduced to near zero, roads were blocked, and businesses were closed.
Winds gusting to 45 mph combining with 2 to 4 inches of new snow and existing loose snow cover produced widespread blizzard conditions with frequent zero visibilities. Several people were stranded, some overnight, several vehicles slid into ditches, and businesses were closed.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain, accompanied by scattered thunderstorms produced rapid accumulations of ice. The heaviest precipitation fell as sleet with local accumulations of 1 to 2 inches.
A 49 year old man was killed around 4 pm Sunday near Shaniko. The car he was driving was hit by a pickup that lost control on the the icy road. The man's 10 year old daughter was taken to a hospital with facial injuries. The driver of the pickup was not injured.
Iowa was caught in the battle zone between very warm and moist air to the southeast and shallow Arctic air to the north. An Arctic cold front slipped south across the state the previous day.
Ice accumulations of 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch resulted in numerous accidents, but no serious injuries were reported. Only localized power outages occurred since light winds accompanied the storm.
A strong pacific coast trough moved through the state. Gusty northwest-north winds 40-50 mph developed behind the cold front. The highest reported gust was in American Fork at 50 mph (43 kts).
A cold front moved south out of Canada Sunday (January 4) and Monday (January 5). This front resulted in a low level flow of cold air across northern Vermont.
A cold front moved south out of Canada Sunday (January 4) and Monday (January 5). This front resulted in a low level flow of cold air across extreme northern New York.
Heavy lake effect snow squalls began on the evening of the 3rd. Off Lake Erie, the band slowly drifted south over the Niagara Frontier and Western Southern Tier during the next two days.
Another decent storm moved through Northern Utah, producing 10-20 inches in the mountains with 3-8 inches elsewhere. Five people were hurt in an eight-car pileup on I-15. Alta picked up 21 inches of fresh powder, with 17 inches at Snowbird.
A storm system over Virginia Friday morning (1/3/03) moved to coastal New Jersey Friday evening and then to near Cape Cod Saturday morning (1/4/03). Snow spread across the area late Friday afternoon, and became heavy at times late Friday night into Saturday morning.
An area of low pressure moved up the Ohio Valley spreading mixed precipitation across Northwest Ohio. The precipitation began as rain but quickly changed to freezing rain and sleet during the afternoon hours.
The seasons first push of Arctic air took place during the weekend of the 3rd and 4th. A strong high pressure was located over northwest Canada and nosed southeast into the central U.S. At the same time, a vigorous upper air system lifted northeast out of the southwest U.S.
The first major winter storm of the season began during the evening hours of 3 January 2004 and ended by 2300 CST 4 January 2004. A majority of the heavy snow fell across Eastern Iowa and north of U.S.
On January 3rd, a strong cold front surged south across Kansas & Oklahoma before stalling along/near the Red River during the afternoon of the 4th.
This storm dropped 8 to 14 inches of snow over most of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa, with over a foot reported across the Omaha metro area. In fact, 14.1 inches was recorded at Omaha Eppley from this storm, tying it for the 3rd heaviest snowstorm on record.
A widespread severe winter storm overspread northcentral, northeast and eastcentral Kansas during the morning and afternoon hours of January 4, 2005.
Freezing rain and drizzle developed Tuesday morning over NW Kansas from Greeley and Wichita counties northeast to Gove, Graham and Norton counties.
The seasons first major winter storm hit Iowa from late in the afternoon of the 4th into the predawn hours of the 6th. The storm was a long and drawn out storm with a series of short waves lifting northeast across the area in a broad southwest flow aloft.
Rain changed over to freezing rain as cold air surged southward into the Southern Plains. The freezing rain began to accumulate in northwest Oklahoma during the morning hours of January 4th.
The biggest winter storm of the season affected Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri from the evening of 4 January to the morning of 6 January.
A winter storm brought up to a foot and a half of snow to the Sierra with only a few inches of snow to western Nevada.
A powerful Pacific storm brought widespread winds gusting to 60 mph and in some areas to more than 80 mph across interior Northern California, causing extensive damage and numerous power outages.
A 13 year old girl died in an avalanche near Verlot. Strong winds accompanied this weather event in portions of western Washington as well along with heavy snow in the Olympics.
A man was killed by an avalanche while skiing.
An approaching cold front generated gusty south and southeast winds throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties on April 4, 2008. The wind caused damage and power outages throughout the region. Snow at higher elevations affected transportation.
A strong winter storm brought widespread heavy snow accumulations to Eastern Washington. This resulted in additional roof collapses in the Spokane area with about 50 collapses in Spokane county. This resulted in an estimated damage amount of ten million dollars.
Snowstorm of January 4, 2010 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Ohio Valley. It lasted from January 4, 2010 to January 9, 2010.
A westerly flow of increasingly cold air followed a cold frontal passage on Sunday the second. A decent lake plume formed Sunday evening and continued into Monday across Oswego County with several inches. This band lifted north later Monday and Monday night into the St.
From the third to the fourth, an upper level storm system moved out of northern Mexico into the Big Bend and across central Texas. Although most snowfall fell south of the South Plains region, a few light accumulations did occur.
An Arctic cold front pushed through central Illinois from the evening of January 4th into the afternoon of January 5th.
A long duration snow event began Saturday evening Jan. 3 while snow intensities increased on Jan. 4 to produce widespread high impacts across western Montana and central Idaho.
Arctic air crossing the lower Great Lakes produced an intense lake effect snow band stretching from Georgian Bay across Lake Ontario into Oswego and Northern Cayuga Counties.
Snowstorm of January 4, 2017 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Southeast. It lasted from January 4, 2017 to January 8, 2017.
This lake effect snow event was a long duration, high impact event; one that snarled traffic across the Buffalo Southtowns Thursday evening and ultimately produced three to four feet of snow east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon hours of the 4th. The snow showers continued intermittently through the early morning hours of the 7th and then dissipated by daybreak.
Cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon hours of the 4th. The snow showers continued intermittently through daybreak on the 7th and then dissipated during the morning hours.
An area of low pressure tracked up the east coast interacting with a cold front which lead to rapid development of a winter storm across the state. This storm quickly moved out by the 5th. However, snowfall accumulations and gusty winds occurred with the storm.
Low pressure moved north from the Florida coast and deepened, passing southeast of Nantucket on Thursday January 4. The storm reached its lowest pressure and strongest pressure gradient as it passed Southern New England.
A powerful Nor'easter developed off the SE CONUS on January 3rd and proceeded to move on shore between eastern Maine and western Nova Scotia late in the day of January 4th.
The heaviest lake effect snow fell at the beginning of this event during the evening of the 4th as an arctic front slowly crossed Lake Ontario and merged with a band of lake effect snow from Rochester to southern Oswego County.
Interstate 90 was closed in both directions for much of the day January 4th between North Bend and Ellensburg as a result of several multi-vehicle crashes that occurred prior to sunrise including 1 fatality (indirect).
Snowstorm of January 4, 2022 was ranked category 1, Notable, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Upper Midwest. It lasted from January 4, 2022 to January 7, 2022.
A western Wisconsin driver died in a two vehicle accident when their car lost control on State Highway 71 near Norwalk (Monroe County), crashing into an oncoming vehicle during the evening of January 4th. Light snow was reported in the area, resulting in slippery conditions.
A strong and well organized winter storm system crossed west to east across northern and central NM during January 4th.
Snowstorm of January 4, 2025 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Ohio Valley. It lasted from January 4, 2025 to January 7, 2025.
A powerful long duration winter storm moved into Kansas during the weekend of January 4th and 5th. The event started with freezing drizzle and drizzle; there were numerous slide offs across the state on the 4th.
A group of four skiers unintentionally triggered an avalanche on a north-facing, sparsely treed slope above a steep-walled gully in the southern Absaroka Range, leading to one death and another person sustaining serious injury.
11 on January 4, oldest first.
Wichita Falls recorded one of their coldest weeks in history during the first week of January in 1947. In fact, the morning low temperatures of January second through fifth, remain record low temperatures for the dates. The cold spell climaxed on the 4th, when Wichita Falls plunged to its all-time record low temperature of 12 degrees below zero. The remaining three days were little better with low temperatures of 7, minus 6, and minus 7 degrees, respectively.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
A woman living in an unheated house died of cold exposure and heart disease.
Arctic air invaded Michigan behind the massive snowstorm. As usual, the Great Lakes offered some protection, as air was warmed as it crossed the lakes.
A woman died, apparently from expsosure to the cold weather. Her body was found at the steps of her home in the morning.
Low temperatures dropped into the middle to lower teens on January 4th and 5th. A 56 year old man in Chicago died due to the cold. In Davis Junction, a 47 year old man apparently abondoned his car and began walking. His car was found along the side of a road on January 4th.
A strong arctic cold front moved through south Florida late on January 1. This ushered in a period of much below normal temperatures which lasted through January 7th.
Overnight and morning temperatures in the 10s and 20s during the first twelve days of the month (well below normal for January) resulted in some impacts on roadways due to water freezing on the roads and scattered damage to buildings due to frozen water pipes that burst during…
Low temperatures in the teens with highs in the mid 30's contributed to the cold exposure death of a man.
A man found lying in his front yard at daybreak had died from hypothermia.
A man died of hypothermia according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. The man was found outside.
A deep upper level trough swept across the southern US and turned northeastward offshore of the east coast from the morning of January 3 through the morning of January 4, 2018.
5 on January 4, oldest first.
The Unnamed Fire started on January 4, 1994, in Texas, and burned 1,799 acres.
The Airport Fire was discovered on January 4, 1994, in Texas, and burned 580 acres; the cause was recorded as arson/incendiarism.
The Mcintyrre Fire was discovered on January 4, 2008, in Oklahoma, and burned 1,200 acres; the cause was recorded as power generation/transmission/distribution.
The Wye Fire was discovered on January 4, 2012, in Montana, and burned 12,000 acres; the cause was recorded as debris and open burning.
The Boy Fire was discovered on January 4, 2012, in Montana, and burned 6,500 acres; the cause was recorded as power generation/transmission/distribution.
23 on January 4, oldest first.
An earthquake struck Shiraz, Iran.
An earthquake struck Yiliang, Yunnan Province, China. It killed 10,000 people.
An earthquake struck Aparri, Luzon, Philippines. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
An earthquake struck Tabriz, Iran. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000) and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
An earthquake struck Tabriz, Iran. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Purworejo, Java, Indonesia. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Banda Sea, Indonesia. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck Tonga Islands.
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck Gunungsitoli, Barus, NW Sumatra, Indonesia. With the tsunami it caused, it killed 2,188 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
The 1907 Sumatra earthquake occurred on 4 January at 05:19:12 UTC. 4, with an epicentre close to Simeulue, off Sumatra.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An earthquake struck Panay,maasin, Panay, Philippines.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Puli, Taiwan. It killed 54 people, injured 85 and destroyed 130 houses.
An earthquake struck Guatemala City. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Corinth-Isthmia (Corinthia), Greece. It killed some people (about 51 to 100).
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Turkey. It killed 5 people, injured 30 and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
The 1935 Erdek–Marmara Islands earthquake occurred at 16:41:30 local time 4 January on the islands of Marmara and Avşa off Erdek in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. 4 and a maximum felt intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale, causing 5 deaths and 30 injuries.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Greece.
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck Managua, Nicaragua. It did $2 million in damage.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Hanoi, Yunnan Province, Vietnam, China. It killed 15,621 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The strike-slip rupture originated on the Red River Fault, which had not experienced an earthquake above magnitude 7 since 1700.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Taiwan.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Berane, Montenegro, Balkans NW.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Afar, Oromia, Amahara, Ethiopia. It killed 2 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
1 on January 4, oldest first.
Kelud, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. It killed 54 people.
7 on January 4, oldest first.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Java, Indonesia. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6 earthquake struck Banda Sea, Indonesia.
A tsunami struck North Island, New Zealand.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck NW. Sumatra, Indonesia, with a maximum water height of 15 meters. It killed 2,188 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake and landslide struck Marmara Sea, Turkey. It killed 5 people, injured 30 and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami struck East Aegean Sea, Greece.
A tsunami with a source recorded as meteorological struck Corea Harbor, Maine, United States, with a maximum water height of 1.5 meters.
12 on January 4, oldest first.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1938, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 9 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 27; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1940, reached Kp 5 and lasted 15 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 24; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1942, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 24; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1943, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 9 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 30; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1956, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 17; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1975, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 32; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1979, reached Kp 6- and lasted 27 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 45; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 57 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1984, reached Kp 6 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 30; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 55 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1988, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 14; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 1993, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 31; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 2015, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 12 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 18; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 4, 2025, reached Kp 5+ and lasted 15 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 31; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 58 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
1 on January 4, oldest first.
A severe storm disaster that cost $1.5 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 12, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from January 4, 2008 to January 9, 2008.
3 on January 4, oldest first.
A single-car rollover occurred just west of Pendleton on Interstate 84 in fog and icy road conditions. All four occupants of the vehicle were injured in the rollover. As one of the victims was being loaded into an ambulance a semi-truck travelling on I-84 lost control.
A resident of a nearby condominium drowned in a rip current at the beach in the 3400 Block of Galt Ocean Mile. Winds were east at 15 to 20 mph and the time of low tide was 8 AM.
Adelup Point is located on the western side of Guam with its reef exposed to the north and west swells. Within the reef, especially on the north side of Adelup, water levels become shallow during low tide and give for easier access to the reefs and cuts in the reef.
Gathered from this site’s archives: the tornado record (NOAA SPC, and Grazulis before 1950), IBTrACS and the National Hurricane Center, NOAA NCEI’s Storm Events Database, Regional Snowfall Index, billion-dollar disasters list, State Climate Extremes Committee and hazard databases, USGS, NIFC, GFZ Potsdam’s Kp index (CC BY 4.0), the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, and Wikidata (CC0), with article leads from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0, each credited where it appears. Rebuilt 2026-09-25.