January 2026 Climate Summary

Regional Breakdown

January continued the overall warmer and lower snowfall trend that has been prevalent the past few months. The entire region has been much warmer than usual since November, with western portions exceptionally above normal. This warmth and lower snowfall have led to snowpack issues in the Rocky Mountains.

The winter storm that swept across eastern Colorado and Kansas late in the month caused some issues in both states. In Kansas, a statewide emergency was issued, and there was a 250 percent increase in motorist assistance calls. Grocery stores in the Kansas City area were also filled to the brim with shoppers stocking up beforehand, with shelves noticeably empty. Across the border in Colorado, hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Denver International Airport. Following the snow, bone-chillingly cold temperatures blanketed the entire region.

The snowpack situation in Colorado has reached near-historic lows. The Arkansas Basin is at only 47 percent of median, while the best performing is the North Platte at 67 percent. Ski resorts in the state are being impacted; multiple ski runs are closed due to low snowfall, and visitor numbers are down sharply. If the trend continues, the low snowpack could create serious issues for agriculture this spring.

Temperature and Precipitation Overview

Above: Departure from 1991-2020 normal temperature (left) and percent of normal precipitation (right) for January 2026 in the High Plains region. Maps
produced by the High Plains Regional Climate Center and are available at: http://hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current .

Precipitation

Precipitation to begin the new year was mixed, with the winter storm bringing above normal precipitation to eastern Colorado, the majority of Kansas, and southeastern Nebraska. Outside of this stretch, precipitation was scarce. Even with wintertime being the drier time of the year, large portions of the northern High Plains were below 0.10 inches (2.54 mm) of precipitation.

The first true heavy snowfall event swept across Colorado and western Kansas early in the month, with snow beginning to fall on the 9th in Colorado. In the Rockies, 18.5 inches (46.99 cm) fell in Ouray, while along the Front Range, areas near Colorado Springs reported up to 13 inches (33.02 cm). Across the border in Kansas, Richfield (southwest of Garden City) reported 12 inches (30.48 cm) on the 10th. Other locations in southwestern Kansas that reported over 10 inches (25.4 cm) of snow on that day included Lakin, Johnson, and Ulysses.

Outside of this event, snowfall has been hard to come by this winter. Casper, Wyoming, has its third-lowest December-January snowfall, with only 6.9 inches (17.53 cm) compared to the normal of 20 inches (50.8 cm). Not far away, Lander has only reported 3.4 inches (8.64 cm) this winter to rank seventh lowest, much lower than their usual of 17.5 inches (44.45 cm). Omaha, Nebraska, is just as abysmal, with only 2.2 inches (5.59 cm) to rank fifth lowest. On the flip side of the coin, Colorado Springs has been exceptionally fortunate so far this winter, with 21.1 inches (53.59 cm) falling to rank sixth-highest December-January snowfall.

Regional Precipitation

Above: Total precipitation in inches (left) and departure from normal precipitation in inches (right) for January 2026. These maps are produced by
HPRCC and can be found on the Current Climate Summary Maps page at: http://hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current.

Temperatures

Even with several cold snaps, much of the High Plains recorded above normal temperatures this month. Western Wyoming continued to be the warmest for the third month in a row, with temperatures over 9 degrees F (5 degrees C) above normal. In the state, there were a total of 115 stations recording their warmest November-January on record.

The continual warmth in the western half of Wyoming has been one of the bigger stories these past few months, with Riverton being the epicenter. The town once again had a record month, with this January being the warmest on record with an average temperature of 28.4 degrees F (-2 degrees C). This stretch since November has been the warmest by far, with an average temperature of 33.7 degrees (0.9 degrees C), which is well above the previous record of 31.4 degrees F (-0.3 degrees C) set in 1933-1934. To the north, the situation at Boysen Dam is similar to that of Riverton. January was the warmest, while the average temperature for the past three months was 34.8 degrees F (1.6 degrees C), much warmer than the previous record of 31.5 degrees F (-0.3 degrees C) in 1953-1954. Other notable locations, including Casper, Lander, and Sheridan, also broke their records by up to 2.5 degrees F (1.4 degrees C).

Despite the overall warmth these past few months, there was a stretch of bone-chilling cold in January. In the latter half of the month, much of the region plunged into subzero temperatures. Along the Canadian border in North Dakota, Bottineau bottomed out at -44 degrees F (-42.2 degrees C) on the 25th. This would be the coldest January temperature there since 2019, when coincidentally it was -44 degrees F (-42.2 degrees C), and only the sixth time the station has been equal to or less than -44 degrees F (-42.2 degrees C) in January. Outside of this year and 2019, the only other time it has been that cold in January is in the 1910s. Temperatures reached – 20 degrees F (-28.9 degrees C) as far south as central Kansas; however, the cold didn’t last for long as some places were near or above 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) just a few days later.

Drought Conditions

While the overall percentage of the region in drought didn’t change much this month, the areas in abnormally dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) shifted. The snowstorm this month improved conditions across Kansas and into southeastern Nebraska; however, the middle portions of the region are starting to feel the effects of minimal snowfall this winter. Overall, the percentage of the region in D0 to D4 (abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions) increased by nearly 2 percent.

Kansas has continued to remain at a minimal level of drought, a trend that has occurred since the spring of last year. At the beginning of the month, less than 14 percent of the state was in D1, primarily along the eastern border. The snowstorm reduced that to around 5 percent in two tiny areas in the southeastern and northwestern corners.

To the north in Nebraska, the story is much different. After reaching manageable levels of drought early this fall, conditions have slowly begun to intensify in the state. The areas that received a decent amount of snow this month in the southeastern portion of the state were drought-free, while out west, conditions deteriorated. Currently, over 50 percent of the state is in D1.

Conditions in Colorado continue to intensify, with the area of extreme drought (D3) expanding to cover just over 7 percent of the state at the end of the month. Severe drought (D2) also expanded significantly in this area, with nearly the entire northwestern corner of the state engulfed. Across the Rockies, conditions also continue to deteriorate in the northeastern corner, with some areas going from drought-free to D1 just this month. Elsewhere in the region, both improvements and degradation were observed. According to the Climate Prediction Center’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for February, drought is likely to persist throughout the region.

U.S. Drought Monitor	Drought Monitor 1-Month Change

The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced as a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Drought Mitigation Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For current Drought Monitor information, please see: http://
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Climate Outlooks

According to the Climate Prediction Center, a La Niña Advisory is present.  For more information, visit: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evo-
lution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

The National Weather Service’s long-range flood outlook indicates increased chances of minor flooding in South Dakota through the end of April. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), fire potential will be elevated in eastern Colorado and Kansas during February and March.  

The seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks presented below combine the effects of long-term trends, soil moisture, and, when applicable, the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle (ENSO). To learn more about these outlooks, please visit http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov.

Temperature

The three-month temperature outlook shows an increased chance of above-normal temperatures across the southern United States, while below-normal temperatures are favored across the northern portions. In the High Plains, warmer temperatures are favored in western Colorado, while cooler temperatures are possible in the Dakotas.

Precipitation

The precipitation outlook for the next three months indicates above-normal precipitation in the northern half of the country and the Great Lakes, while below-normal precipitation is favored for the southern United States. Above-normal precipitation is favored for the Dakotas and Wyoming, while below normal is possible in southern Colorado and western Kansas.

Drought

The U.S Seasonal Drought Outlook released on January 31st indicates drought will likely improve in western Wyoming, while its development is possible throughout Colorado.