Early Cold Snap Sets Records From Plains to Gulf Area

The calendar said autumn, but in 100 cities the weather Monday was more suited to January. Low temperatures ranged from below zero in the northern plains and Midwest to just freezing near the Gulf of Mexico.

Northern Missouri reported its earliest single-digit temperatures since record-keeping began about 120 years ago, the National Weather Service said.

Snow up to 15 inches deep closed schools Monday in Michigan, where temperatures dropped into the teens.

Since last week, cold, snow or ice has been blamed for nine deaths in Minnesota, six in Illinois and three in Nebraska.

A sampling of the record lows Monday: 6 degrees at St. Joseph, Mo.; 6 degrees at Concordia, Kan.; 9 below zero at St. Cloud, Minn.; 21 degrees at San Angelo, Tex.; 17 degrees at Evansville, Ind.; 18 degrees at Pittsburgh, Pa.; ; 7 below zero at Yankton, S.D., and 11 degrees in Chicago.

In Nebraska, the low of minus 9 at Norfolk was 21 degrees colder than the previous record for the date, 12 degrees above zero, set in 1951. The reading of 27 degrees at Baton Rouge, La., toppled a record on the books since 1899, as did readings of 23 degrees at Shreveport, La.; 19 degrees at Conway, Ark., and 15 degrees at Fayetteville, Ark.

Far to the south, a record low of 30 degrees was reported at Pensacola, Fla., on the Gulf of Mexico and at Del Rio, Tex., on the U.S.-Mexico border.