January 1999 picked up where 1998 left off with another warmer-than-normal month. This was the Northeast's sixth consecutive month where the monthly average temperature exceeded the 30-year normal and the twelfth time during the last fourteen months The area-weighted regional average temperature was 2.3 degrees warmer than normal. Departures for individual states ranged from 0.8 degrees warmer than normal in New York and Maine to 6.1 degrees warmer than normal in the state of West Virginia.
The Northeast's string of six dry months was broken by January. On the average, the twelve northeastern states averaged 4.65 inches of precipitation, which represents 163% of normal. This was the 10th wettest January in 105 years of record, but was a far cry from the record of 7.06 inches reported in January 1979. It was New Jersey's second wettest January with 227% of normal. Maine reported an excess of less than an inch or 128% of normal.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
Daily Precipitation Records (inches) City Date New Previous Bridgeport, CT 3rd 2.73 0.76 in 1953 Boston, MA 3rd 1.51 1.39 in 1936 Newark, NJ 3rd 2.57 1.28 in 1944 Central Park, NY 3rd 2.42 1.41 in 1936 Williamsport, PA 3rd 0.96 0.76 in 1960 Providence, RI 3rd 1.70 1.44 in 1936 Caribou, ME 9th 1.05 0.71 in 1978 Pittsburgh, PA 14th 1.15 0.96 in 1892 Newark, NJ 18th 0.69 0.61 in 1987 Daily Snowfall Records (inches) City Date New Previous Buffalo, NY 4th 12.4 5.8 in 1970 Caribou, ME 9th 15.1 8.2 in 1948 Annual (1998) Precipitation Record (inches) City New Previous Milton, MA 71.00 69.36 in 1996 Maximum Temperature Records (degrees F) City Date New Previous Bridgeport, CT 18th 55 54 in 1990 Beckley, WV 21st 60 54 in 1990 Beckley, WV 22nd 66 63 in 1974 Charleston, WV 22nd 75 73 in 1935 Huntington, WV 22nd 76 74 in 1933 Morgantown, WV 22nd 72 65 in 1967 Parkersburg, WV 22nd 74 72 in 1906 Elkins, WV 23rd 67 66 in 1906 Huntington, WV 23rd 70 69 in 1943 Morgantown, WV 23rd 73 67 in 1967 Portland, ME 24th 52 50 in 1953 Boston, MA 24th 62 61 in 1967 Worcester, MA 24th 59 56 in 1906 Albany, NY 24th 54 53 in 1967 Williamsport, PA 24th 59 58 in 1953 Burlington, VT (tie) 24th 52 52 in 1953 Beckley, WV 27th 68 62 in 1974 Huntington, WV 27th 71 70 in 1916 Dulles Airport, DC 28th 67 59 in 1990 Beckley, WV (tie) 28th 62 62 in 1989 Minimum Temperature Records (degrees F) City Date New Previous Worcester, MA (tie) 2nd -5 -5 in 1968 Caribou, ME (tie) 6th -20 -20 in 1945
Note: Allagash, ME, reported a temperature of -55 degrees on January 14th. This would have broken the all-time state low temperature record. Tests of the temperature recording equipment, however, revealed that the instrument was out of calibration, thus nullifying this observation.