Evening star., 1940-01-18
Zero Weather Due
By Tomorrow Night;
One Dead in Cold
Snow Is Predicted
For Today; 7 Below
At Hoeerstown

Intense cold grlpped the Middle
West from the Northern Rocky
Mountains to Indiana today as the
Capital prepared for snow tonight
and the coolest weather since 1885.
The Weather Bureau forecast a
minimum of 10 tonight and tenn
peratures of zero or lower for Friday
night. Washington counted one
death from exposure, although the
mercury last night fell only to IT,
5 degrees short of the II predicted.
The last time the city experienced
zero cold was in January, 1896, and
in the two previous year the tenn
perature dropped to 2 below and 6
below, respectively.
Exposure Kills Man.
Elmer Martin, 80, of 1921 Morse
street NE. was found dead this
morning in a dilapidated shack
adjacent to the Eastern Branch OF
Anacostia River at the end of NJ
street NE.
A companion, Mike Anderson. Of
1701 Erie street Sc, who had
stayed with Mr.. Martin in the shack
overnight, summoned police when
he discovered the mans lfeless
body. They said death was due to
exncslire.
Bitter cold gripped Maryland to-
day in the wake of the second
general snowfall within a month.
At Hagerstown, the Associated
Press reported, the temperature hit
rcf' low of degrees below zero.
1t was even zero at Big Savage, S
above at Cumberland and Z above
at Frostburg.
Western Maryland bore the brunt
of yesterdays snow, getting from 6
to 10 inches. while the Eastern
Shore. chief sufferer in the blizzard
early this month, escaped with only
light fall.
Weather officials described the ex-
pected temperature drop here as
very unusual" for the District and
said the cold snap probably would
remain at least through Sunday.
20 Below in Middle West.
It was 20 degrees below zero last
night in most of Wisconsin and
Minnesota, the Dakotas and in icy
stretches Of Nebraska, Iowa and
Montana, the Associated Press re-
ported. Lennon. S. Dak, reported
temperature of 80 below.
The severest cold wave of the
season descended upon New Eng
land. driving temperatures down to
81 degrees below zero at ground
level stations in the northern dis
tricts. Atop Mount Washington,
where it was % below, a 99-mile-
an-hour hurricane howled.
Forecasts generally promised no
relief until the week end.
Even Texas felt the Arctic air,
blown into the United States yes
terday by an unusually large high
pressure area in Canada. A read
ing of 4 above was reported frcSl
Amarillo, while residents of Dallas
and Fort Worth hurried about in
a crisp IS above. The Gulf Coast
was balmy. but a freeze was ex-
pected tonight.
The cracking cold that extended
across South Dakota was the worst
in four years. A stiff wind made it
more penetrating, and in some
counties schools were closed.
81 Below in Wyoming.
A snowstorm which had ragged
over Wyoming since yesterday was
abating in temperatures which
reached-32 at Cody. Butte, Mont,
reported 81 below, and in North
western Oklahoma it was showing
hard, with drifts blocking some
highways.
Some rural schools were closed in
Minnesota, where readings Of III at
Winona, 20 at Austin and % at
Rochester established all season
lows. Iowans chartered In tenn
peratures like "a below at Rockwell
(see WEATHER, Page Aid