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CANAAN VALLEY -- A location in Tucker County has posted the lowest temperature in the contiguous United States for two consecutive mornings this week.
On Tuesday morning, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge weather station recorded a low temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit. The station is located 5 miles east of Davis.
On Wednesday morning, the Canaan Valley weather station on the Refuge recorded a low temperature of 31 degrees, once again posting the national low temp of the day.
"Overall, conditions weren't exactly prime overnight, but still managed around 8 hours of at or below freezing temps," a Wednesday post on the Allegheny Mountains Weather Facebook states. "Min(imum) bottoming out at 30.5° which rounds up to 31° for the national min as of 8 a.m."
Canaan Valley has a history of posting the lowest temperatures in the nation.
"What we have seen the last few mornings at the site is not uncommon for August, especially late August," the Allegheny Mountains Weather Facebook posted Wednesday. "A quick short jog down memory lane to August 2024. Through August 27th the site recorded 11 days below 40° with three below freezing.
"This year through the 27th, the site has four days below 40° with two below freezing. (Today will be the fifth.) The 27.8° (Tuesday) was the coldest of the two August comparisons."
On Jan. 22, Canaan Valley posted the lowest temperature in the contiguous United States with a low of -28 degrees.
Ironically, this happened one year to the day after Canaan Valley posted a low of -19 degrees, which was the lowest temperature in the nation on Jan. 22, 2024.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Canaan Valley was -31 degrees, also posted on a Jan. 22, this time in 2022.
The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge Virginia Tech University research weather station lies in a large flat, open meadow in the wild, untouched northern end of Canaan Valley at an elevation of 3,150 feet, officials said.
Such places are commonly referred to as "frost hollows," which catch and pool cold air forming extremely well at night.