Weather Whys; January Tendencies

This is weather-wise. When you think of January, it's likely cold weather will come to mind. After all, January brings sub-zero temperatures to the Dakotas, blizzards to the Northeast and beneficial rains to Northern California. The month sees the largest differences in average temperature between the northern most part of the country and the South. For instance, the average high temperature in January for Bismarck North Dakota is about 18 degrees, while residents of Miami, Florida enjoy a balmy 75. That strong temperature contrast creates a swift-moving current of air called the jet stream, which, along with the temperature differences, aids in the development of winter storms. Individual January storms have dumped as much as 45 inches of snow on Buffalo, New York, and 10 and a half inches of rain on Marin County, California. Following many of the storms come episodes of extreme cold, with huge masses of frigid polar air sliding down over the continental United States.

And frequent Pacific storm systems make January one of the plaudiest months in the far west. But despite all the gloom and chill, one interesting feature of the month is the January Thaw. Over a period of years, meteorologists have observed that near the end of the month, there's often an episode of mild temperatures in the Midwest and the Northeastern United States. That climatic anomaly does not occur every year, but it shows up often enough to make a statistical difference in weather records. Climatic records show that temperatures in some areas average about two degrees above normal from January 20th to the 26th. And in some specific instances, they've greatly exceeded that. Meteorologists don't know exactly why the warmer weather occurs, but residents of the affected areas, more often than not, will still enjoy their brief respite from the cold. And for weather wise, I'm Drew Barlow.