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Northeast Regional Climate Center |
For the second month in a row, the average temperature for the Northeast was only 0.2 degrees below normal. January's average of 22.8 degrees was 6 degrees warmer than the same month in 2004 and the warmest January since 2002. Temperature departures ranged from 4.7 degrees above normal in West Virginia to 2.8 degrees below normal in Rhode Island. During the first half of the month, the upper air pattern over the region prevented arctic air masses from sinking into the Northeast. Temperatures averaged well above normal until a cold front barreled through the eastern U.S. on the 14th. The southwesterly flow ahead of the front brought the warmest temperatures for the month. A few locations in southern West Virginia saw highs in the upper 70's on the 14th; temperatures in general averaged 15-20 degrees above normal on that date. The passage of the front signaled a change that persisted through the end of the month. The mercury fell as artic air settled over the region and by the end of the month the positive temperature departures were wiped out in all but 3 states (WV, PA and DE).
The Northeast averaged greater than normal precipitation again this month. The regional total of 4.05 inches was 1.80 inches more than January 2004 and the wettest January since 1999. The three northernmost states, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, were the driest, averaging 66%, 84% and 88% of normal precipitation, respectively. Precipitation totals in the remaining states ranged from 106% of normal in Delaware to 187% of normal in Pennsylvania. Overall, the Northeast averaged 122% of normal precipitation.
Warm temperatures kept snow totals down during the first half of the month, however snowfall began to accumulate after the cold front passage on the 14th. Snowfall for the month ended up close to normal, helped by a major coastal storm on the 22nd that dumped 6 to 24 inches of snow on parts of New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
