Yes, it's true -- from an all-time high of 111 degrees in 1936 to a record low of minus 28 in 1996.

For a better sense of what ``Quad-Cities weather'' means, let's look back over the last five years. (Official Quad-Cities weather data is recorded at the Quad City Metropolitan Airport, Moline. Records date back to 1872.

2004

January started off warm, at 62 degrees Jan. 2, then dropped to 12 below zero by Jan. 31. The year's snowfall totaled 27.7 inches, well below the 52.9-inch record set in 1978-1979.

Spring temperatures were warm and even record-breaking, with 87 degrees April 17, topping the 1977 record of 86. The area also set a record for May 30 daily precipitation, 2.47 inches, breaking the old record of 2.03 inches set in 1903.

Summer came in with a rumble. An earthquake of 4.5 magnitude was felt at 1:10 a.m. June 28. Although centered near Ottawa, Ill., it was felt across the mid- and upper Mississippi Valley, including the Quad-Cities area, as recorded at the National Weather Service in Mount Joy. No local damage was recorded.

2003

A warm January started the year, including a 58-degree reading Jan. 22 that tied the 1964 record, and another 58-degree day Jan. 26 that tied the record set in 1944. Then the temperature climbed to 64 degrees Jan. 27, breaking the record of 63 set in 1944. On the other hand, a 14-degree reading March 9 broke the record for coolest temperature of 15 degrees, set in 1877.

Five records toppled in the spring, with temperatures of 84 on April 1, 87 April 14 and 89 April 15, breaking the old highs of, respectively, 83 in 1946 and 80 and 88 in 2002. A record April 30 precipitation of 1.52 inches broke the record of 1.11 set in 1916.

2002

The year 2002 was one of the warmest on record -- 1.6 degrees warmer, 5.16 degrees inches drier and 7.3 inches less snowy than normal. The highest temperature was 95 degrees July 4, and the lowest was minus 9 on March 4.

The area saw a record high of 64 degrees Jan. 27; normal high for that date is 30. In April, four record highs were set with 80 degrees April 14, 88 on April 15, 90 on April 16 and 91 on April 18. Normal highs for that week were 61 to 62 degrees.

Bucking the trend, record-breaking lows invaded the area in May, including a 33-degree reading May 18, 36 on May 19 and 32 on May 21, when normal lows would be 50 to 51.

Heavy rain across the region in June caused flooding along area creeks and on the Rock River. Rainfall totals in a 24-hour period ranged from 2.49 inches in Moline to 6 inches in Morrison. The Rock River crested at Moline on June 7 at 15.79 feet, compared to a flood stage of 12 feet -- the second-highest crest ever recorded on the Rock.

Total precipitation for the year was 32.88 inches, compared to the normal 37.98 inches.

2001

2001 was marked by above-normal temperatures and total precipitation and below-normal snowfall. The average temperature was 51.7 degrees, 2.1 degrees above the normal 49.6.

Total precipitation was 40.26 inches, 1.18 inches above the normal annual total of 39.08. Total snowfall was 13.5 inches, 21.2 inches below the normal annual snowfall of 34.7 inches; 2001 had the fifth-lowest snowfall total on record.

The area received its highest wind gust, 62 miles per hour, June 14.

2000

Above-normal temperatures and snowfall but below-normal overall precipitation was the rule for 2000. The average temperature was 50.6. Although precipitation totaled 37.88, 1.2 inches below normal, snowfall totaled 62.9 inches, 28.2 inches above the normal 34.7 inches. That made 2000 the third-snowiest year (January-December) on record. The highest wind gust was 52 miles per hour and occurred March 8.

Weather history highlights

Here is a recap of some significant climatic events that impacted residents of the Quad-Cities area during the 20th century.

-- 1901 -- A July heat wave resulted in 21 straight days of high temperatures of 90 degrees or above from July 9 to 29. 1901 also was the driest year of the 20th century, with only 17.33 inches of precipitation.

-- 1901-02 -- Least snowfall recorded for a 12-month period, with only 11.1 inches from July 1901 through June 1902.

-- 1921-22 -- Least snowfall recorded for winter, with only 6 inches of snow from December through February. 1921 was also the warmest year, with an average temperature of 54.3 degrees.

-- 1922 -- Least snowfall recorded for a calendar year -- only 7.1 inches.

-- 1936 -- A record heat wave baked the Midwest, with the temperature reaching 100 degrees or above for a record 11 consecutive days from July 5-15. Moline's all-time high of 111 degrees was set on July 14; the temperature then dropped to a ``low'' of 84. It was the warmest summer on record, with an average temperature of 78.8 degrees. July was also the warmest month, with an average reading of 85.0 degrees.

-- 1940 -- The area shivered through a two-week cold spell during which the high temperature was zero degrees or below for 14 days, Jan. 15-28.

-- 1951 -- A record 3.28 inches of rain fell in one hour on Aug. 29.

-- 1952 -- A fall drought resulted in the Quad-Cities' longest period without measurable precipitation -- 45 days -- from Oct. 2 to Nov. 15.

-- 1961 -- Moisture coming north from Hurricane Carla produced a 24-hour rainfall record of 6.29 inches on Sept. 12-13.

-- 1973 -- The Quad-Cities' wettest year, with 56.36 inches recorded.

-- 1974-75 -- The greatest seasonal snowfall recorded in Moline, 69.7 inches.

-- 1977-78 -- There were a record 43 days during the winter when the low temp was zero or below.

-- 1978-79 -- This winter will long be remembered for not only its heavy snow, but its bitter cold. A winter-season record of 52.9 inches of snow fell, and the average temperature during the winter was a record low 14.1 degrees.

January was a record-breaking month, with 18.4 inches of snow falling Jan. 12-14, a record for a single storm. A record of 26.7 inches of snow fell during the month, while the snow depth was a record 28 inches from Jan. 14 to 19.

January 1979 was also the coldest month ever in the Quad-Cities, with an average of 6.3 degrees. The mercury dipped to 27 below zero on Jan. 2, the second-coldest reading ever.

-- 1983 and 1985 -- Ranked among the five coldest Decembers on record.

-- 1987 -- The wettest August: 15.23 inches of rain fell.

-- 1993 -- Record flooding on the Mississippi River grabbed national headlines; the Mississippi maxed out at 22.6 feet, 7.6 feet above flood stage. The summer of 1993 was the wettest single season ever in the Quad-Cities, with a total of 26.79 inches of precipitation.

-- 1996 -- An outbreak of Arctic air gripped the Midwest from late January into early February. The all-time record low of 28 below zero was recorded on Feb. 3 The mercury was below 0 for 120 consecutive hours from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4.

-- 1997 -- Record yearly snowfall of 71.1 inches was recorded.

-- 1999 -- Blizzard conditions were experienced in early January. A 36-day fall drought, from Oct. 17 to Nov. 21, was the third-longest stretch without measurable precipitation.