January 2010 Climate Summary

For a printable version of the climate summary which includes more figures, data tables, and state summaries, click here. 

Temperature Summary

January 2010 started off with record cold, but most areas of the Region were between 2˚F (1.1˚C) above normal and 2˚F (1.1˚C) below normal by the end of the month.  Exceptions were eastern sections of Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska which had temperature departures from 4˚F (2.2˚C) to 8˚F (4.4˚C) below normal.  Meanwhile, northern North Dakota, portions of Wyoming, and pockets of Colorado had temperature departures up to 6˚F (3.3˚C) above normal and pockets of Wyoming had temperature departures of up to 8˚F (4.4˚C) above normal.  Despite these large departures, temperature records were not broken this month.  

In many places, snow cover had quite an effect on the average temperatures this month.  For instance, western Nebraska was free of snow and had temperature departures up to 4˚F (2.2˚C) above normal.  Meanwhile, eastern Nebraska, where record snow depths occurred, had temperature departures up to 8˚F (4.4˚C) below normal.  Similarly, while the majority of South Dakota had average temperatures which were below normal, the southwestern portion of the state had minimal snow cover and average temperatures of 2˚F (1.1˚C) to 4˚F (2.2˚C) above normal.

Precipitation Summary

Precipitation varied widely across the Region this month.  Many locations across the Dakotas had precipitation totals which were up to 400% of normal, whereas a large swath of Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas received less than 25% of normal precipitation.  Certain pockets of these states received less than 5% of normal precipitation.  This month’s wet location was Mission, South Dakota which received 1.57 inches (39.88 mm) of precipitation, or 476% of normal, which beat the old record of 1.13 inches (28.70 mm) recorded in 2001.  While no snowfall records were broken this month, several snow depth records were broken across eastern Nebraska.  A few light snows combined with several December 2009 snow storms resulted in new January snow depth records.  Norfolk, Nebraska crushed the old record of 17.0 inches (43.18 cm) recorded in 1969.  The record was initially broken on the first day of the month with 19.0 inches (48.26 cm) but snow continued to fall and the record 25.0 inches (63.50 cm) of snow on the ground was reached on January 10.  For more precipitation records, please see the table located on page 2 of the climate summary.

The big story this month was a winter storm which brought rain, freezing rain, snow, and blizzard conditions to portions of the Region.  The January 23-25 storm started off as a mixture of rain, snow, and sleet before changing over to all snow in parts of the Dakotas.  Heavy snow fell in North Dakota and snow reports of 6-10 inches (15.24-25.40 cm) were common.  Towards the end of the storm, additional snow and strong gusting winds produced blizzard conditions for the eastern portions of the Dakotas and far northeastern Nebraska.  Due to the blizzard conditions, visibility was greatly reduced and sections of I-29, I-94, and I-90 were closed.  In addition, at least 10,000 people lost power.

Climate Outlook

El Niño conditions were present this month and are expected to continue into Spring 2010.  The temperature outlook indicates a higher probability of above normal temperatures for the Dakotas, Wyoming, northern Nebraska, and the northwestern Colorado.  Only southern Kansas and far southeastern Colorado have a higher probability for below normal temperatures.  Equal chances of above, near, or below normal temperatures are predicted elsewhere.  The precipitation outlook indicates a higher probability of above normal precipitation for most of Kansas, the majority of Colorado, southwestern Nebraska, and a very small portion of southeast Wyoming.  Equal chances of above, near, or below normal precipitation are predicted elsewhere in the Region. The seasonal outlooks combine the effects of long-term trends, soil moisture, and when applicable, the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.  More information about these forecasts can be found here.

Drought Watch

There were big changes to the U.S. Drought Monitor for the High Plains Region this month.  North Dakota joined South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas as the drought free states in the Region.  After heavy rains, a large portion of southwestern Colorado was downgraded from moderate drought (D1) to abnormally dry (D0) conditions.  However, abnormally dry conditions spread through northwest and north-central Colorado and also western Wyoming.  In addition, far western Wyoming slipped from D0 to D1.  According to the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook released January 21st, the drought conditions in the southwest corner of Colorado and western Wyoming are expected to improve through April 2010.