The Remarkable Cold of January 17th 1982

Following a very warm first half of January 2024, temperatures have been cooled considerably over the past couple of days. However, the recent cooldown is nothing like the cold the Jersey Shore saw on January 17th, 1982.

On that date, record cold temperatures were established for the Bellcrest section of Toms River NJ. The low temperature of -15 degrees F is the lowest temperature ever recorded at this location. Highs temperatures that day did not get above zero, the only time that has happened here (temperature records date back to 1978). Winds gusting over 30 mph resulted in wind chill values near -35 degrees F!

To put the magnitude of the cold on that day into perspective, the low temperature of -15 F and the high temperature of -3 F marked the coldest day on record in the Bellcrest section of Toms River, NJ (temperature records here date back to 1978). The normal high for the middle of January is 39 F, so the high temperature was 40 degrees below normal!

We were not alone when it came to record cold on January 17, 1982. Dozens of cities in the Eastern US and the Midwest set all-time record low temperatures. That was also the date when the Cincinnati Bengals hosted the San Diego Chargers at Riverfront Stadium. The actual air temperature was -7 degrees F at kickoff, with wind chill values lower than -50 degrees F!

Fortunately, the cold did not last long, as high pressure moved to a position off the Mid Atlantic coast, allowing warm air to return on a southwest flow. Temperatures eventually returned to near normal by the end of the month, with high temperatures topping out above the normal high of 40 F.