DANVILLE, Pa. -- It’s an anniversary some people might want to forget. The coldest day on record was 25 years ago on January 21, 1994 at -21 degrees.
The main street was deserted in Danville and some businesses were shut down because of the frigid temperatures on that day.
The scene on Monday in five-degree weather wasn’t much different. People weren’t outside unless they were bundled up.
“It's colder than I would like to tell you the truth,” Brian Kile of Danville said.
It didn’t take much to really feel just how cold it was outside. Even with gloves on, your hands could go numb in a couple of minutes.
“It is freezing! It is! I mean you can't stand to hardly be out here,” Shelly O’Dell of Danville said.
Because of the cold conditions, salt was a hot ticket item at Cole’s Hardware in Danville. Shopper Brian Kile remembers that historically freezing day in Danville when it was much colder.
“I know we had windchills down like 40 below and it was miserable to be outside,” Kile said.
During this week’s cold snap, business has tripled at the hardware store because people just want to warm up.
“Kerosene heaters, regular electric heaters. We're going through everything,” store manager John Azaltovic said.
“When it gets so cold, it doesn't matter if it's two degrees or if it's -25, everything is bitter. Everything we tried to do was horrible,” Mark Martz of Danville said.