Jan. 26th, 1796
I parted with my friends in this harbor in peace and seven men rowed me ten miles in a skiff to Harbourgrace; they had to beat through much ice and the frost was very severe. I lay with seven great coats around me at the bottom of the boat and it was with difficulty that I escaped being burnt with the frost.
- Methodist preacher William Thoresby
Christmas Day 1965
On Christmas Day, 1965, St. John’s experienced unseasonably warm temperatures. The residents enjoyed the mildest temperature on record since 1944.
By Boxing Day, the temperature had risen to 11°C, and most of the snow in and around St. John’s had disappeared, allowing grass and mud to peek through.
The Avalon Peninsula recorded one of the warmest temperatures for North America, apart from the most southerly areas of the United States.
Central and western areas were not so fortunate; they were hit with a snowstorm that deposited about 23 centimetres of snow in some places with winds gusting to 121 kilometres per hour.
The heavy snows blocked highways in Central Newfoundland with massive drifts, and many motorists abandoned their cars wherever they got stuck. Corner Brook reported snow accumulations of 47 centimetres from Friday to Monday night.
