According to the Jan. 30, 1940 Stanly News & Press, shown in the picture, Stanly County had the lowest temperature on record that month. The area was experiencing an extreme cold spell. According to the paper, 10 inches of snow fell on Jan. 23 and for the next several days the temperature barely climbed above freezing. On Thursday, Jan. 25, the low temperature reached 7 degrees. Friday and Saturday saw the low reach 1 degree and on Jan. 28 the low reached -7 degrees. During this time, fuel dealers struggled to meet the demand for coal and local plumbers were busy repairing many pipes that had burst in homes throughout the area. Many locals even went out to the Swift Island bridge to see where the Yadkin River had frozen. According to a number of people who had lived in Stanly County for many years, the temperature had reached -8 degrees during a cold spell during 1899, but official weather records for Stanly County were not kept until 1911. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}