-63°F Yesterday Morning in Northern Utah

[CM]

In the mountains above Logan, Utah there's a bowl named the Peter Sinks that gets real cold, yesterday morning it was -62.7°F. It was -55 this morning. I work for the company that makes the remote measurement equipment that took those measurements.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the lower 48 was -69.7°F at Roger's Pass, Montana in January 1954. The 2nd lowest was at the Peter Sinks at -69.3°F on February 1, 1985, so -63 is getting down there!

https://climate.usu.edu/PeterSinks/index.php


This winter isn't looking good for the deer, let's hope for a mild spring.

 

[Dented]

Any idea what it is about that particular location that accounts for those temperatures? Seems way out of line with the rest of the region.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Any idea what it is about that particular location that accounts for those temperatures? Seems way out of line with the rest of the region.

"So why is this montane site, located 20 miles northeast of Logan, so cold? The low temperatures are due to a combination of the area’s unique basin topography, high elevation, and dry climate. Peter Sinks, at an elevation of 8,164 feet, is a natural limestone sinkhole approximately one-half mile in diameter; one can liken it to a large bowl, which has no valley outlet to drain water or air. On calm cloudless nights this high basin loses accumulated daytime heat to the atmosphere. In addition, cool dense air slides down-slope into the basin floor in a process known as cold air pooling. Extremely low temperatures can occur, especially in the wake of wintertime arctic fronts."

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Wow! OP, does this temp include wind chill or would any wind lower the temp even further?

 

[CM]

Wow! OP, does this temp include wind chill or would any wind lower the temp even further?

That is without wind-chill. Interestingly enough, if the wind picks up at all, the air temperature rises several degrees.

Here's an example from last night, the white line is wind speed (on the right axis of the graph), the yellow and green are the temperature measurements. You can see at about midnight, the wind picked up to only 0.8mph and the temperature rose ~2-3 degrees, then wind died down and if fell again.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

That is without wind-chill. Interestingly enough, if the wind picks up at all, the air temperature rises several degrees.

Here's an example from last night, the white line is wind speed (on the right axis of the graph), the yellow and green are the temperature measurements. You can see at about midnight, the wind picked up to 0.8mph and the temperature rose ~2-3 degrees
View attachment 509616

Wild!

 

[gbflyer]

Brutal. I had no idea.

 

[MuleyFever]

Wow! OP, does this temp include wind chill or would any wind lower the temp even further?

Wind doesn't lower actual temperature. Like mentioned, wind usually helps raise temperature. Vineyards, for example, will use giant fans to keep the grapes from freezing when it gets to cold.

 

[ORJoe]

That is without wind-chill. Interestingly enough, if the wind picks up at all, the air temperature rises several degrees.

Makes sense. If it's just one spot that gets super cold, it won't take much wind to blow warmer less insanely cold air from anywhere else to it.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Wind doesn't lower actual temperature. Like mentioned, wind usually helps raise temperature. Vineyards, for example, will use giant fans to keep the grapes from freezing when it gets to cold.

That's a very general statement for ensuring that humidity on crops doesn't freeze. Go stand on a mountain in 35 degrees with no wind. Go stand on that same mountain with 40 MPH gusts... Light wind can shift cold air and raise temperatures but "felt cold" aka wind chill is always more brutal.

 

[2five7]

That is without wind-chill. Interestingly enough, if the wind picks up at all, the air temperature rises several degrees.

Here's an example from last night, the white line is wind speed (on the right axis of the graph), the yellow and green are the temperature measurements. You can see at about midnight, the wind picked up to only 0.8mph and the temperature rose ~2-3 degrees, then wind died down and if fell again.

View attachment 509616

Is this what we see on today's graph between 9:45 and 10:00 this morning? Temp rose like 25 degrees in 15 minutes.

 

[Packin_packout]

Thanks for posting this. I've been right by there but never into that specific basin. Last night was -15 on my patio and down in the bottom 4 miles away the meter said -30. I can see it warming up pretty quickly once sun makes it over the lip of the mountain. And here I am getting ready to camp out for the next three nights because I am too cheap to pay for a hotel!

 

[CM]

Is this what we see on today's graph between 9:45 and 10:00 this morning? Temp rose like 25 degrees in 15 minutes.

I think that's exactly what's happening. Here's a graph from this morning, you can see the wind definitely picked up and the "Sinks" temperatures rose to just a few degrees less than the "Rim" temperature. The Rim temperature is taken at the top of the basin. So as the air started moving around the temperature down in the Sinks rose a ton.

 

[4rcgoat]

Was -30 here yesterday morning, I can't imagine anything colder than that,that's ridiculous

 

[Wolf_trapper]

I grew up around NE MN it hit -60 pretty crazy for only being 1500' elevation. -20 or colder on the regular.

 

[CorbLand]

The sinks get cold as balls. They are a cool area to go to during the summer. I have camped there and had to put a jacket on in the morning. Walk 15 feet out of the little hole and you are taking your jacket off.

 

[jayhawk]

Dang that’s cold!! Thanks for sharing this info OP

 

[BullsDeep]

WATCH: New Hampshire pounded by arctic blast, coldest wind chill ever measured

Wind gusts are as high as 115mph.

www.google.com

 

[Kansas Bound]

Damn that is hard on everything

 

[prm]

Someone get up there and test powders to see if they really are temp insensitive!