An arctic air mass brought some of the coldest weather in years to Eastern Pennsylvania from the evening of the 9th through the morning of the 11th. It also claimed the lives of two Philadelphia residents. The low temperature of 4 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport on the 10th was the coldest day of the winter and the lowest reading since February 5, 1996. The low temperature of zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport on the 10th was also the coldest reading of the winter and the lowest temperature since February 6, 1996. A record breaking (for the calendar day) low temperature of 10 below zero was recorded in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). What made this even more unusual was that the brutally cold air mass occurred with no snow cover. Winds around the center of the arctic high pressure system were from the north and by-passed the warming effects normally received from the Great Lakes and subsidence from the Appalachian Mountains. A Philadelphia man was found dead in his home on Irving Street. There was no heat in the house. An 89-year-old woman was found dead within her South Philadelphia unheated home. It was so cold in the home, that the water in the toilet froze. The unseasonably cold weather was a dangerous situation for the homeless as well as for the elderly who can not afford to heat their homes. There was a dramatic increase in phone calls to social services by individuals who have run out of heat or can not afford to pay their utility bills. Additional schools and community centers were opened as shelters. Many municipalities declared code blues to assist the homeless. Teams went outside to locate homeless people and get them to shelters. The unseasonably cold weather caused many pipes to freeze and burst both inside and outside of structures as well as a higher occurrence of water main breaks. In Northampton County, a Wilson Borough nursing home was evacuated after a pipe burst. Easton City Hall was flooded and Easton Catholic Elementary School was closed because of broken pipes. The cold weather also led to an increase in workload in hospital emergency rooms. Fire fighters were having problems battling blazes as the water quickly turned to ice. In some instances the water was freezing in hoses and the trucks. Fire fighters were injured slipping and falling on the ice. There was a higher incidence of chimney fires and a general shortage of firewood developed. Many vehicles were not starting because of dead batteries. Specific low temperatures included 10 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 8 degrees below zero in Hazleton (Luzerne County), 2 degrees below zero in Perkasie (Bucks County) and Forks Township (Northampton County), 1 degree below zero in Lehighton (Carbon County), zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 1 degree in Reading (Berks County) and Valley Forge (Chester County) and 4 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport. The arctic cold front which ushered in the colder air moved through all of Pennsylvania by the 9th. The high pressure system, or the core of the arctic air mass, moved from just west of James Bay on the morning of the 9th, to along the Ontario/Quebec Province border on the morning of the 10th to Virginia and North Carolina on the morning of the 11th.

Cold/Wind Chill in BERKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in BUCKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in LEHIGH, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in MONROE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in MONTGOMERY, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in NORTHAMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill in PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
From 09-JAN-04 18:00:00 to 11-JAN-04 12:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC