NATION WEATHER SUMMARY
JANUARY 2022

2-8: Cold air settled across much of the country in early January, although warmth lingered along the southern Atlantic Coast. Weekly temperatures broadly averaged at least 10 to 20°F below normal across the northern Plains and upper Midwest, while
readings averaged at least 10°F above normal in portions of the southern Atlantic region.

Record-setting warmth affected the South in early 2022. On January 2 along the southern Atlantic Coast, monthly record highs of 83°F were tied in Tallahassee, FL, and Saint Simons Island, GA. The warmth extended into the midAtlantic, where daily-record
highs for January 2 included 70°F in Salisbury, MD, and 68°F in Georgetown, DE. A monthly record high of 75°F was tied on January 3 on Cape Hatteras, NC, a mark most recently attained on January 1, 1985. Farther west, however, scattered daily-record
lows included 31°F (on January 2) in Half Moon Bay, CA, and -17°F (on January 3) in Marysvale, UT. By mid-week, a quick-hitting blast of cold air arrived across the Plains, accompanied by high winds. Temperatures briefly dropped below 0°F throughout
the northwestern half of the Plains, while lows ranging from -20 to -40°F affected northern tier communities from northern and eastern Montana into northern Wisconsin.

Mid to late week warmth returned across the Deep South, starting in the western Gulf Coast region. On January 5-6, Galveston, TX, posted consecutive daily-record highs (74 and 77°F, respectively). Other record-setting highs for January 6 included 86°F
in Brownsville, TX, and 78°F in New Iberia, LA. In contrast, Russell, KS, reported a January 6 high of 9°F, tied with 1968 for lowest on record on that date. Meanwhile, mild weather returned across the western U.S., starting in the Pacific Coast States.
Daily-record highs for January 6 reached 58°F in Troutdale, OR, and 56°F in Montague, CA. The following day, record-setting highs for January 7 rose to 68°F in Colorado Springs, CO, and 60°F in Provo, UT. Elsewhere, Florida’s peninsula remained
warm through week’s end, with Fort Myers notching a daily record-tying high of 85°F on January 7.

9-15: Dry weather prevailed nearly nationwide for much of the week. During that period, significant precipitation was confined to the Pacific Northwest. In recent months, the western U.S. (excluding the Pacific Northwest) has experienced alternating
periods of wet and dry weather, starting with a stormy October, followed by a warm, dry November; an exceptional period of rain and snow in midto late December; and a mostly dry first half of January. This portion of the storm will be covered in greater
detail next week. Meanwhile, mild weather—featuring near- or above-normal temperatures—prevailed for several days across much of the country. The warmest weather, relative to normal, affected the northern High Plains, where weekly temperatures
averaged at least 10°F above normal from central Montana to northwestern Nebraska. Warmth also covered the Far West, although chilly conditions, dense fog, and air stagnation affected some interior Western valleys. Farther east, cold conditions remained
in place for much of the week across the nation’s northern tier, east of the Rockies. Temperatures broadly averaged 5 to 10°F below normal along and near the Canadian border from northern Minnesota to northern New England. Early-week warmth was
prominent in the western half of the Gulf Coast region, where daily-record highs for January 9 surged to 82°F in New Orleans, LA, and 80°F in Galveston, TX. The 80-degree reading marked only the second time on record—along with 81°F on January 1,
2022—that Galveston had reached or exceeded 80°F in January, with records back to 1875. Warmth also covered Florida’s peninsula, where Fort Myers posted a daily-record high of 87°F on January 10. Meanwhile, a surge of mild air accompanied heavy
precipitation in the Pacific Northwest, where Salem, OR, tied a daily record on January 11 with a high of 59°F. Unusual warmth also briefly developed across the upper Midwest; daily-record highs for the 11th rose to 58°F in Sioux City, IA, and 52°F in
Sioux Falls, SD. Farther south, warm weather in advance of a cold front led to recordsetting highs for January 13 in locations such as Del Rio, TX (82°F), and Lawton, OK (76°F). Lingering Southern warmth on January 14 resulted in daily-record highs in
Roswell, NM (76°F), and El Paso, TX (71°F). General Western warmth contributed to several dailyrecord highs, including 65°F (on January 12) in Mount Shasta City, CA, and 64°F (on January 13) in Reno, NV. In contrast, late-week temperatures tumbled
across the upper Midwest. In Sisseton, SD, the temperature fell from 42 to -17°F between January 12 and 15. Similarly, the temperature in Waterloo, IA fell more than 50°F between January 13 and 15—from 46 to -8°F.


16-22: A pair of storms crossing the southern and eastern U.S. delivered a variety of weather, including rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow. The first system, which had produced snowy, windy weather at the end of the previous week from the upper
Midwest into the mid-South, continued to create travel difficulties and other challenges on January 16-17 while sweeping across the Appalachians and middle and northern Atlantic States. The second storm delivered significant snow near the middle Atlantic
Coast, including eastern North January 21-22. Across the Deep South, both systems produced varying amounts of rain, while the second storm also resulted in pockets of wintry precipitation. Most of the remainder of the country experienced a dry week,
aside from periods of generally light precipitation from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes States. Isolated showers also dotted the Southwest. However, completely dry weather persisted in several areas, including the drought-affected southern
Plains.

Elsewhere, chilly conditions across the eastern half of the country contrasted with near- or abovenormal temperatures in most areas from the Pacific Coast to the northern and central High Plains. Weekly temperatures broadly averaged more than 5°F below
normal from the Mississippi Valley eastward, as well as portions of the southern Plains, with readings averaging at least 10°F below normal in several locations across the interior Northeast. Temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in portions
of California and Montana.

Early-week temperatures briefly rose across the Plains and Midwest in advance of a cold front. Record-setting highs for January 18 included 79°F in Wichita Falls, TX; 66°F in Hastings, NE; and 62°F in Sioux City, IA. In the western Gulf Coast region,
warmth lingered through January 19, when Galveston tallied a daily-record high of 76°F. Thereafter, cold air settled across most areas east of the Rockies. In McAllen, TX, the temperature plunged from 87 to 33°F between the afternoon of January 19 and
the morning of January 21. Similarly, the temperature in Sioux City, IA, dipped from 62 to -6°F in a 41-hour period from January 18-20. During the second half of the week, recordsetting warmth and gusty winds developed in parts of the Pacific Coast
States. In Oregon, daily-record highs for January 20 rose to 61°F in Troutdale and 60°F in Portland. Kentfield, CA, closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs of 69°F on January 21-22. Additional daily-record highs in California on January 22
reached 78°F in Ukiah, 76°F in Santa Rosa, and 71°F in Sacramento. Along the central California coast near Big Sur, a rare January wildfire—the Colorado Fire—torched some 700 acres of vegetation, starting on Friday. Elsewhere, bitterly cold air
swept across the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. On January 22, Youngstown, OH, reported a daily-record low of -9°F. On January 21-22 in New York, Saranac Lake (-31°F both days) and Massena (-30°F both days) closed the week with consecutive daily-
record lows. Farther south, January 22 highs of 40°F in Alma, GA, and 41°F in Jacksonville, FL, were the lowest maxima in those locations since January 3, 2018.

23-29: tranquil weather prevailed in most areas of the country, but a rapidly intensifying, late-week storm system near the Atlantic Seaboard delivered wind-driven snow and created blizzard conditions from the middle Atlantic Coast into eastern New
England. Much of the Northeastern snow fell on January 29. Previously, the storm’s interaction with an approaching cold front had resulted in generally light snow at some interior locations, including portions of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Farther
south, some rain fell across the Deep South, mainly in the western and central Gulf Coast States.

Farther south, some rain fell across the Deep South, mainly in the western and central Gulf Coast States. downwind of the Great Lakes and patchy snow on the High Plains. The Plains’ snow, which melted within days, provided limited and localized relief
for drought-stressed winter wheat. The West’s spell without widespread, meaningful precipitation extended to a month.

Meanwhile, bitterly cold weather gripped the Midwest and Northeast, holding weekly temperatures at least 10 to 15°F below normal in the Great Lakes region. Cold weather extended deep into the South, where temperatures averaged as much as 10°F below
normal in Florida. Winter agricultural areas of southern Florida were grazed by sub-freezing temperatures on the night of January 23-24, followed by a more extensive cold snap on the night of January 29- 30. Elsewhere, chilly conditions also overspread
parts of the West, although warmth lingered in California and environs. Air stagnation and foggy conditions plagued parts of the Northwest. In contrast, mild, breezy weather dominated the northern High Plains, where temperatures averaged as much as 10 to
15°F above normal. In the upper Midwest, persistently cold, blustery January weather, along with periods of snow, has increased stress on livestock. Through the 29th, Des Moines, IA, reported 11 days with minimum temperatures of 0°F or below—the most
in any January in that location since 1997. Despite the cold weather, which extended into the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, only a few records were set. On January 26, for example, dailyrecord lows included -30°F in Antigo, WI, and -9°F in Fort
Wayne, IN. Later, record-setting lows for January 29 dipped to -23°F in Watertown, NY, and -14°F in Flint, MI. Watertown achieved another daily-record low (-26°F) on January 30. Meanwhile in Florida, daily-record lows for the 30th included 30°F in
Vero Beach; 32°F in Fort Pierce; and 35°F in Fort Myers, with lower readings common in non-coastal locations. Farther west, mild conditions dominated the northern High Plains, while daily-record highs were largely limited to the Pacific Coast States.
In Montana, Glasgow’s daily average temperature for January 23 was more than 20°F above normal, while the day’s lowest reading of 32°F represented the first time in that community there had not been a subfreezing minimum temperature on that date.
Elsewhere on the 23rd, a daily-record low of 24°F occurred in New Iberia, LA, while daily-record highs were noted in Oregon locations such as North Bend (69°F) and Redmond (63°F). Four days later in California, Stockton (66°F) posted a daily record-
tying high for January 27.

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