COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s been a cold winter in Columbus, but so far the all-time records appear safe.
According to the National Weather Service, as of Monday, there have been six days in which temperatures have dropped below zero in Columbus. That is the most since 1994, but short of the 18 days we suffered through in 1977.
Dayton has seen below-zero readings 10 days so far this year and the mercury has dropped into negative territory seven times in Cincinnati.
Based on 30-year climatological data between 1981 and 2010, Columbus has averaged two days per year of sub-zero temperatures, the Weather Service said.
Since 1879, the first year that temperature records were kept in Columbus, the worst years for cold have been 1977 (18 days below zero), 1963 (17), 1885 and 1917 (14) and 1979 (13).
The weather proved deadly for two people in central Ohio over the weekend
A 13-year-old boy died in a crash on an icy road in Pickaway County Sunday morning. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Zachary Mans was a passenger in the car driven by his mother, Kristy Stone, when her car slid left of center and hit another car Sunday morning in Circleville. Zachary died at a hospital. His mother and 4-year-old brother were treated for minor injuries and released.
A Denison University student apparently died of exposure after he fell asleep while walking away from a bar without a coat early Saturday morning.