With all the snow the region received last week, it was of course accompanied by cold temperatures but not record low temps.
The headline in the Jan. 19, 1994, Chillicothe Gazette read, “-29° Record cold to lift by weekend.”
Roger Martin knows the importance of hats and layered clothing as he scrapes a thick layer of ice off his car. Martin says people have been asking for an “old-fashioned winter” and this is certainly one.
The story on the front page said, “A record-setting all-time low temperature of minus 29 – possibly the lowest in Ohio – was recorded overnight at Hopewell Culture Historical Park near Chillicothe.”
The article went on to state that Chillicothe’s previous record low was minus 21 on two dates – Jan. 21, 1984 and Dec. 23, 1989.
The Jan. 19, 1994, Chillicothe Gazette edition, reported that nine inches of snow had blanketed the area with sub-zero temperatures.
The snow had started falling that Sunday night into Monday. And you knew you were in the 1990s based on some of the Gazette content. For instance, it was reported that retailers and industries were closing. On that Saturday, Star Time Video was packed with people trying to get their hands on VHS movies to watch while the cold and snow kept them inside for the most part.
Customers remove videos from the shelves of Star Time Video as fast as manager Angie Downing can replace them.
Not everyone was bunkering down.
The Monday, Jan. 17, 1994 edition reported that there were about 16 people crowded into Crispie Cream Donut Shop on Bridge Street for coffee, doughnuts and conversation.
“I come rain, snow, sleet or hail,” said Jim Strawer.
Most of the conversation that morning was about the weather.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Record-low temps reported in January 1994