NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
JANUARY 2020
1-4: In the West, significant precipitation was confined to areas from the northern Pacific Coast to the northern Rockies, although Northwestern snowpack remained well below average. Elsewhere, dry weather returned across the central and southern High
Plains, following the previous week’s drought-easing precipitation. As 2019 ended and the new year began, mild weather continued across the eastern half of the country and developed in the Far West. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F above
normal across large sections of the Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeastern States, and were as much as 10°F above normal across the interior Northwest. In contrast, chilly weather in the Four Corners region held temperatures at least 5°F below
normal.

Warmth in advance of the late-December storm resulted in numerous daily-record highs. December 29 featured record-setting highs in locations such as Knoxville, TN (78°F); Montgomery, AL (77°F); and Muskegon, MI (58°F). Along the Atlantic Seaboard,
lingering warmth on the 30th led to daily-record highs in Norfolk, VA (78°F), and Salisbury, MD (72°F). The warmest year on record occurred in several Eastern communities, including Key West, FL, with an annual average temperature of 80.3°F; Savannah,
GA (69.8°F); and Elkins, WV (53.5°F). Meanwhile, Northwestern warmth resulted in the highest New Year’s Day temperatures on record in Washington locations such as Ephrata (54°F) and Wenatchee (51°F). From January 1-4, Omak, WA, posted four
consecutive daily-record highs (49, 45, 49, and 48°F). Late in the week, warmth continued in the Northwest and returned across the Southeast. On January 3, daily-record highs climbed to 61°F in Bellingham, WA, and Pendleton, OR. On the same date,
record-setting Southeastern highs soared to 85°F in Jacksonville, FL, and 82°F in Augusta, GA. Jacksonville also tied a monthly record, originally set on January 30, 2013. Elsewhere in Florida, the week ended on January 3-4 with consecutive daily-
record highs in Vero Beach (86°F both days) and Fort Pierce (87°F both days). On the northern High Plains, daily record highs for January 4 rose to 65°F in Sheridan, WY, and 58°F in Miles City, MT. \

5-11: Temperatures were above-normal for the third consecutive week across the eastern half of the country. The core area of Eastern warmth stretched from the mid-South into the lower Great Lakes region, where readings averaged 10 to 15°F above normal.
In contrast, temperatures plunged below -20°F on the nights of January 7-8 and 10-11 from the Red River Valley into northern Minnesota. On the Plains, January 11 temperatures briefly dipped below 0°F as far south as northeastern Colorado and the
northwestern corner of Kansas. Elsewhere, mostly dry weather prevailed from the Southwest to the northern Plains and upper Midwest, while occasional rain and snow showers spread inland across the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies.
Warmth accompanied the early week storminess in the Northwest, where record-setting highs for January 6 included 59°F in Yakima, WA, and The Dalles, OR. On January 7, Troutdale, OR, also noted a daily-record high of 59°F. A few days later, warmth
rapidly developed across the central and eastern U.S. By January 9, daily-record highs surged to 66°F in Kansas City, MO, and 62°F in Ottumwa, IA. On January 10-11, the week ended with consecutive daily-record highs in locations such as Huntington,
WV (68 and 78°F); Lexington, KY (67 and 75°F); and Cincinnati, OH (61 and 67°F). Other record-breaking highs for January 11 included 87°F in Naples, FL; 80°F in Charleston, WV; and 70°F in Cleveland, OH, and Boston, MA. Charleston had not
attained an 80-degree reading in January since January 15, 1932, when the high reached 81°F.

12-18: Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 to 15°F above normal from the western Gulf Coast region to the southern Atlantic Coast, while readings averaged more than 20°F below normal in parts of Montana. In fact, persistently cold weather gripped
the northern Plains and upper Midwest, with temperatures dropping below -20°F at least once in a broad area from Montana to Minnesota. Readings plunged to 0°F or below as far south as southern Iowa.
On January 11-12, consecutive daily-record highs were established in Eastern locations such as Fort Myers, FL (87 and 88°F), and Boston, MA (70 and 74°F). Fort Myers tied a monthly record, previously set on January 9, 2013, and earlier dates, while
Boston shattered its January record of 72°F, achieved on January 26, 1950. Monthly record highs were also set on January 12 in locations such as Naples, FL (89°F); Providence, RI (70°F); and Bridgeport, CT (69°F). Warmth lingered across the Deep
South for several days. For example, Jacksonville, FL, posted four consecutive daily-record highs (84, 84, 82, and 83°F) from January 12-15. In Texas, Corpus Christi notched consecutive daily-record highs (83 and 80°F, respectively) on January 14-15.
McAllen, TX, posted highs above the 80-degree mark each day from January 12-18, with the temperature peaking at 89°F (a daily-record high) on the 14th. In stark contrast, Klamath Falls, OR, notched a daily record-tying low of -3°F on January 15.
Although no daily records were set, lows on January 16 plunged to -30°F in Grand Forks, ND, and -24°F in Aberdeen, SD.

19-25: As the early-week system moved away from the Northeast, cold air briefly settled across the eastern half of the country. In fact, weekly temperatures in a few Southern locations averaged more than 5°F below normal. The Southeastern cold snap
generally peaked on January 21-22 with light freezes occurring on the latter date as far south as interior southern Florida. Early-week temperatures had plunged to 0°F or below as far south as northern Missouri, while scattered readings below -20°F
were reported in eastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota. Despite the early- to mid-week cold outbreak across the central and eastern U.S., no record lows were established due to fierce competition in earlier years. Still, sub-zero temperatures
occurred from January 19-21 in Des Moines, IA (-3, -3, and -4°F), and from January 18-21 in Norfolk, NE (-5, -2, -6, and -1°F). On the morning of January 22, low temperatures in Florida dipped to 35°F in Daytona Beach and 36°F in Tampa, Orlando, and
Melbourne. Those values were more than 10°F higher than the daily-record low values established on January 22, 1985. Nevertheless, this year’s brief cold spell was accompanied by winds, which on the 22nd gusted to 35 mph in Tampa and Vero Beach.
Elsewhere on January 22, Great Falls, MT, reported a minimum temperature of 34°F—higher than the lows of 32°F observed that day in Palmdale and Clewiston, FL, west of Lake Okeechobee. As the week progressed, mild weather returned across the central
and eastern U.S., while pockets of record-setting warmth developed in the West. For example, January 25 featured daily-record highs in locations such as Hermiston, OR (60°F), and Vancouver, WA (58°F).

26-31: Near- or above-normal temperatures dominated the country, capping a very mild January. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F above normal across much of the northern Plains and parts of the upper Great Lakes region. Pockets of cooler-than-
normal conditions were mostly limited to the lower Southeast. Mostly dry weather prevailed from central and southern California into the Southwest. The average water content of the Sierra Nevada snowpack was less than 75 percent of the late-January
average, following a mostly dry month. Late January dryness also dominated the northern Plains and the Midwest. For much of the week, record-setting warmth was fleeting and limited to scattered locations. In southern Texas, McAllen posted three
consecutive highs of 85°F or greater from January 26-28. McAllen’s high of 88°F on the 28th set a daily record. Late in the week, however, warmth surged northward in
advance of a Pacific storm system. On January 31 – February 1, Alturas, CA, posted consecutive daily-record highs of 62°F. Other record-setting highs on the last day of January included 65°F in Yakima, WA, and 62°F in Portland, OR. February
opened on an exceptionally warm note across the West, with highs soaring to daily-record levels on the 1st in locations such as Santa Ana, CA (87°F); Reno, NV (73°F); and Great Falls, MT (64°F). For Reno, it was the highest winter reading since
February 22, 2002, when it was also 73°F.

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