000 CXUS51 KLWX 031831 CLMDCA CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 131 PM EST WED FEB 3 2010 ................................... ...THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL DC CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2010... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1871 TO 2010 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL ............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 79 01/26/1950 LOW -14 01/01/1881 HIGHEST 68 01/25 65 3 LOWEST 16 01/31 12 4 01/03 AVG. MAXIMUM 42.5 42.5 0.0 38.3 AVG. MINIMUM 28.0 27.3 0.7 25.0 MEAN 35.3 34.9 0.4 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 DAYS MAX <= 32 6 4.6 1.4 DAYS MIN <= 32 23 20.7 2.3 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 7.83 1937 MINIMUM 0.31 1955 TOTALS 1.56 3.21 -1.65 2.68 DAILY AVG. 0.05 0.10 -0.05 DAYS >= .01 8 10.5 -2.5 DAYS >= .10 4 6.4 -2.4 DAYS >= .50 1 2.3 -1.3 DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.7 -0.7 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.68 01/17 TO 01/17 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 31.5 1922 TOTALS 7.4 6.2 1.2 SINCE 7/1 24.0 8.4 15.6 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 DAYS >= TRACE 9 3.1 5.9 DAYS >= 1.0 2 1.6 0.4 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 6 01/31 24 HR TOTAL 6.4 DEGREE_DAYS HEATING TOTAL 914 917 -3 1028 SINCE 7/1 2341 2400 -59 2557 COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0 .............................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.1 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/160 DATE 01/25 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 46/280 DATE 01/03 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 4 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 17 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 10 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 56 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 2 LIGHT RAIN 7 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 4 LIGHT SNOW 7 SLEET 3 FOG 7 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0 HAZE 5 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && IN WASHINGTON DC...ALTHOUGH THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY ENDED UP BEING NEAR NORMAL...IT WAS A MONTH SPLIT BETWEEN COLD AND WARM PERIODS. IT WAS COLD DURING MOST OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH...11 OUT OF THE FIRST 14 DAYS WERE BELOW NORMAL. THEN TWO WEEKS OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES OCCURRED FROM THE 13TH THROUGH 28TH...FOLLOWED BY SHARPLY COLDER CONDITIONS TO FINISH OUT THE MONTH. JANUARY WAS DRY...WITH LESS THAN HALF OF THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. IT WAS THE DRIEST MONTH SINCE JULY 2009 AND THE DRIEST JANUARY SINCE 2004. HALF OF THE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION FELL ON THE 17TH. SNOWFALL WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH DESPITE ONLY HAVING MEASURABLE SNOW ON TWO DAYS...THE 8TH AND 30TH. THIS YEAR MARKS THE FIRST JANUARY WITH ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL IN 10 YEARS. THE TWO-MONTH TOTAL OF 24 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED AT WASHINGTON THIS PAST DEC-JAN PERIODS MARKS THE SIXTH SNOWIEST DEC-JAN PERIOD ON RECORD. AND SO FAR THIS WINTER...FOR THE COMBINED DEC-JAN PERIOD...THERE HAVE BEEN TWO SNOW EVENTS THAT EACH TOTALED AT LEAST 6 INCHES. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN WASHINGTON THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE DEC-JAN PERIOD OF THE WINTER 1960-61. $$ JRK/SMZ