#TBT January 21, 1985: Coldest Temps in Carolina History

January 21 marks the 36th anniversary of the coldest air to reach the southeast over the last century. Record low temperatures were broken across the south, with almost every city in the Carolinas reaching historic low temperatures. Even the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan (January 20th fell on a Sunday in 1985) had to be held indoors for just the second time in history because of the dangerously cold temperatures.

In North Carolina, the state record low temperature was measured in Mount Mitchell and still stands at -34 degrees. Caesar’s Head in South Carolinas holds the record low for this day at -19 degrees. Charlotte fell to -5, while Grandfather Mountain fell to -32 degrees, while the high temperature never rose above -10, Both cities still claim the all-time low for these temperatures. Here’s a list of more cities that fell to record lows on this day:

The blast of freezing temperatures killed 90% of the citrus crop in Florida and resulted in billions of dollars of losses in agriculture for the state. The peach crop was entirely wiped out across the Carolinas. At least 126 people died from the cold due to hypothermia.