1936 American cold wave
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The 1936 cold wave was the only cold wave of the 1930s. The states in the Midwest were hit the hardest. February 1936 was one of the coldest months recorded in the Midwest. The states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota saw the their coldest month on record. What was so significant about this cold wave was that the 1930s had some of the mildest winters in the USA history. 1936 was also one of the coldest years in the 1930s.
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[edit] Events
This significant cold wave started in December in the Eastern half of the USA, when most places in the east were much below average. The Plains states, however, were near average. The state of Florida saw their coldest December on record, with a temputure of 51.9° F.
[edit] January
Most places across the Midwest saw a colder than average January. The plains states started to get a taste of what it would be like until March. The state of North Dakota saw an average temperature of -7.0°F. Most staes in the Midwest were very cold in January of 1936. The severe winds made windchills in some locations go down to -85°F. Heavy snow and cold created dangerous conditions to be outside. Many people suffered from frostbite and hypothermia.
[edit] February
February was by far the coldest month in the severe cold wave. The states of South Dakota, Minnesota, and North Dakota saw their coldest month on record, and average temperatures were below 0° F. More heavy snow and severe windchills created very dangerous conditions. Windchills in some locations were near -100° F. People had to wear up to 7 layers of clothing before going outside. And 2 states in this February saw their coldest temputures on record, -58° F in McIntosh, South Dakota, and -60° F in Parshall, North Dakota.
[edit] March
March of 1936 caused severe flooding when temputures went above freezing. Above average to near average tempertuers were recored throught the USA, except for the Pacific Northwest, but they weren't hit hard by the cold wave. Melting snow and ice were a major problem and caused rivers to burst it's banks. It ended as the coldest winter of the 1930s. 4 states saw their coldest winter on record, North Dakota, South Dakota,Minnesota, and Iowa. In one town in Iowa, the average winter temperture was -31° F below average.
