Pat Shingleton for Feb. 13, 2012

The cold February 1899 was one of the most severe ever recorded. As noted in a previous column, all-time record lows were logged in Milligan, Ohio, at minus 39 degrees and Camp Clarke, Neb., at minus 47. Local and state records were posted at Tallahassee, Fla., dropping to minus 2 and Minden with a frigid minus 16 degrees. All-time record lows are on the books at Dallas at minus 8, Kansas City, Mo., at minus 22, Washington, D.C., at minus 15 and Lawrenceville, Pa., at minus 39. Adding to the supercold was a superblizzard from New Hampshire to Georgia with Virginia recording 40 inches of snow. Once the cold made it to Baton Rouge, ice blocked the Mississippi River at New Orleans for the second time in history. Fastcast: Warmer.