Staff Reports
WVNews
Davis, W.Va. — A weather station located three miles east of Davis recorded a temperature of minus 28 degrees Fahrenheit early Saturday, the lowest temperature in the contiguous United States.
The reading was included in the National High and Low Temperature Discussion issued at 1 p.m. EST by the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. The minus 28-degree mark was the coldest reported among all stations in the lower 48 states for the 24-hour period.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted that the data is preliminary and subject to revision pending final quality control by the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Davis and the surrounding Canaan Valley are known for extreme cold due to their high elevation and unique topography. The area sits in a basin where heavy, cold air settles into the Allegheny Mountains.
While the Saturday reading is among the lowest ever recorded in the area, it remains above the all-time state record for West Virginia. That record was established on Dec. 30, 1917, when the temperature dropped to minus 37 degrees Fahrenheit in Lewisburg.
The minus 28-degree reading is also slightly warmer than a more recent local extreme. On Jan. 22, 2022, a station at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge recorded a low of minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit.
