By Bill Kappel
The year has started off on the cold and snowy side, which is good news for us as we have started the snow season with a deficit so far. Temperatures were well below normal, especially for the second half of the month, and snowfall was above normal, punctuated by an Arctic air intrusion to end the month. January is normally one of our driest months, so to get a little extra moisture to start the year is always welcome.
The new year started off with some snowfall but relatively mild temperatures. Two to four inches of snowfall accumulated between the 1st though the 3rd, but temperatures still managed to reach the upper 20s to low 30s each afternoon. Quiet conditions returned for the next week with dry conditions from the 4th through the 10th and temperatures at or above normal. Relatively mild and breezy conditions set up from the 8th to the 10th. These westerly winds helped jump temperatures into the low 50s each afternoon and more importantly kept overnight lows warm, with most areas staying above freezing on the 10th.
A quick-moving cold front temporarily disturbed this pattern with cooler temperatures and some light snow accumulation on the 11th. Temperatures began to warm back up over the next few days, eventually reaching our warmest temperature of the month on the 14th, with upper 50s reached that afternoon.
The general weather patterns in the region started to shift soon thereafter with a more northwesterly flow taking hold. This opened the door for a series of cold fronts and storm systems to move through the region. Every day from the 15th through the 31st was below average from a temperature perspective, the exception being the 27th when values were right about average for the day.
A series of weather systems brought snowfall on several days. The heaviest snow occurred from the evening of the 17th through the evening of the 18th. This storm accumulated 4-8 inches and produced a lot of blowing snow, causing some major travel issues in the region. Then new storms moved through every three days or so, with a few inches from the afternoon of the 20th to the afternoon of the 21st, and another couple inches from the morning of the 23rd through the morning of the 25th, and a final couple of inches from the 28th through the 30th.
The final event was associated with cold Arctic airmass that brought in some near-record cold temperatures. This push was moisture-starved, with generally light snowfall but plenty of cold air. Temperatures dropped well below zero on the evening of the 29th with morning lows 10-15F degrees below zero on the 30th. Highs of course were also cold, barely reaching the teens on the 29th and even colder on the 30th. A warmup began on the 31st, but even then we couldn’t break above freezing.
A look ahead
February is often a transition month as we move from the dry and cold conditions in December and January toward relatively warmer and wetter conditions of March and April. Total precipitation for the month averages around an inch, which falls in the form of snow and accumulates around 20 inches. Average high temperatures are in the 30s. It can get very cold in February with Arctic air making brief pushes into the region. However, days begin to get a little longer, which leads to some nice, sunny days, and the snow that does fall begins to melt faster.
January 2023 Weather Statistics
Average High: 35.9° (-4.2°)
100-year return frequency value: max 48.4° min 30.8°
Average Low: 13.4° (0.0°)
100-year return frequency value: max 26.6° min 6.6°
Highest Temperature 58° on the 14th
Lowest Temperature -12° on the 30th
Monthly Precipitation: 0.99” (+0.28” 39% above normal)
100-year return frequency value: max 1.56” min 0.01”
Monthly Snowfall: 21.6” (+4.2”, 10% below normal)
Season to Date Snow: 45.5” (-7.3”, 14% below normal) (the snow season is from Oct 1 to Sept 30)
Season to Date Precip.: 0.99” (+0.28” 39% above normal) (the precipitation season, Jan 1 to Dec 31)
Heating Degree Days: 1251 (+154)
Cooling Degree Days: 0
Bill Kappel is a meteorologist and Tri-Lakes resident. He can be reached at billkappel@ocn.me.
Other Weather articles
- November Weather Wrap (12/5/2024)
- October Weather Wrap (11/2/2024)
- September Weather Wrap (10/5/2024)
- August Weather Wrap (9/7/2024)
- July Weather Wrap (8/3/2024)
- June Weather Wrap (7/6/2024)
- May Weather Wrap (6/1/2024)
- April Weather Wrap (5/4/2024)
- March Weather Wrap (4/6/2024)
- February Weather Wrap (3/2/2024)
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