Coldest one I remember is winter of '78. I was just married and living in Eastern Mass. In early February we has a blizzard of about 4 feet and lost power for a week. Schools and businesses were shut down and they called in the National Guard to help out. One thing I remember is having my two Siberian Huskies pull a toboggan to the super market and the cashiers using calculators to add up the grocery bill. Fun times.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northea...izzard_of_1978
I graduated from Cornell in December of 1977 and promptly headed to Stowe, VT to work for the Von Trapp's at their lodge. That was the coldest January by far. I lived in Waitsfield and commuted to Stowe. It would get down to -15f and starting the Saab up was a hit or miss for a week. Thank the Swedish God for heated seats in my 1973 Saab. If you tried downhill skiing on Mt. Mansfield, you had to warm up every 2-3 runs to get feeling back in your toes.
Nowadays, the public has become wusses. In honor of the NJ Super Bowl, perhaps it should be "p*ssies." The TV weatherman reports "feel like temps" which includes wind chill index vs. pre 2013-2014, when actual temps + prevailing winds were reported. School closings happen at the drop of a mitten. Though it is cold out, the extra sun this winter helps. Also, I am happy to report, I took a 9 mile bike ride this month!
Interesting article on the Great Lakes freezing over:
http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.s...s_rapidly.html