Photo by Jay Paul
Day breaks over Richmond on Jan. 23, helping bring a welcome break from subfreezing temperatures. Two days later, the area would set new daily records for the highest recorded minimum temperature in Richmond: 62 degrees on Jan. 25 and 60 degrees on Jan. 26, according to National Weather Service data going back to 1897. The 62-degree mark tied a record for the month of January set on Jan. 8, 1998. The hottest-ever January day happened Jan. 30, 2002, which hit a high of 81 degrees.
Eighty-four years prior, Richmond saw the most snow ever recorded in the city in one day: 19.9 inches on Jan. 24, 1940. The 21.6-inch snow total was joined by an icy blast that set six records for the coldest-ever temperatures in the city, culminating in a reading of -12 degrees on Jan. 29, 1940.
