Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

Current Version | Previous Version | Graphics & Text | Print | Product List | Glossary Off
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

000
CXUS51 KBUF 030753
CLMBUF

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
832 AM EST THU FEB 01 2024

...................................

...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2024...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2024

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             72   01/25/1950
 LOW             -16   01/17/1982
HIGHEST           52   01/09                          47  01/17
LOWEST             6   01/17                          15  01/31
                       01/20
AVG. MAXIMUM    33.9               32.1     1.8     36.9
AVG. MINIMUM    24.9               19.0     5.9     28.6
MEAN            29.4               25.5     3.9     32.8
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    12               16.4    -4.4        6
DAYS MIN <= 32    26               27.1    -1.1       22
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                1.8    -1.8        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM        6.88   1982
 MINIMUM        0.89   1921
TOTALS          5.67               3.35    2.32     3.89
DAYS >= .01       22                                  21
DAYS >= .10       14                                  11
DAYS >= .50        2                                   2
DAYS >= 1.00       1                                   0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   1.07   01/26 TO 01/26               0.99  01/03 TO 01/04

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          68.3   1977
TOTALS          45.6               26.7    18.9     14.7
SINCE 7/1       53.6               60.7    -7.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     6                                   1
DAYS >= 1.0       10                7.5     2.5        5
DAYS >= 0.1       19                                  10
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       21   01/19                           6  01/27
                       01/20
                                                          01/28
 24 HR TOTAL    12.0   01/17 TO 01/17

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   1094               1223    -129      991
 SINCE 7/1      3013               3532    -519       MM
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0       MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.6
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    44/150
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    70/140    DATE  01/09

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            0
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              0
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         31

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     82

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              2     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                1     RAIN                       4
LIGHT RAIN               11     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                5     SNOW                      11
LIGHT SNOW               25     SLEET                      1
FOG                      28     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      7
HAZE                      2

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

... CLOUDY AND WET MONTH ...

CLOUDS WERE ABUNDANT THIS MONTH, WITH JUST TWO PARTIAL DAYS
FEATURING DEEP BLUE SKY. THE FIRST AND LAST WEEKS OF THE MONTH WERE
QUIET AND WARM, WHILE THE MIDDLE WEEKS OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY
FEATURED TWO HIGH END WIND EVENTS, AND TWO SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT
SNOW EVENTS. THE COMBINATION OF THESE LAKE EFFECT EVENTS AND GENERAL
RAINFALL PUSHED THE PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TO 8TH WETTEST
JANUARY ON RECORD. 

THE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH AVERAGED 29.4°F. THE MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE WAS JUST 1.8F DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, WHILE THE MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE AVERAGED WELL ABOVE NORMAL, COMING IN AT 5.9F DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THE COMBINED DECEMBER AND JANUARY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
OF 34.3°F IS FOURTH WARMEST IN 153 YEARS OF RECORD FOR THIS 2-MONTH
STRETCH, AND WARMEST SINCE 2015-16, WHICH HAPPENED TO ALSO BE A
STRONG EL NIÑO WINTER. THERE WERE JUST 8 DAYS THAT AVERAGED BELOW
NORMAL, ALL CONSECUTIVE DURING THE MIDDLE PART OF THE MONTH. THE 11
DAYS THAT REMAINED AT OR ABOVE FREEZING IS 5TH GREATEST IN JANUARY`S
HISTORY RECORD. DESPITE THE WARM MONTH, THERE WERE NO TEMPERATURE
RECORDS SET. 

PRECIPITATION TOTALED 5.67 INCHES FOR THE MONTH, FINISHING 8TH
WETTEST ON RECORD. PERSISTENT LAKE EFFECT SNOW MID-MONTH, AND A
SYNOPTIC RAIN EVENT THAT DROPPED OVER AN INCH OF RAIN ON THE 26TH
PRODUCED THE WET MONTH. WHILE THE NUMBER OF DAYS (22 DAYS) WITH
MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS JUST 2 DAYS MORE THAN NORMAL (20 DAYS),
THE NUMBER OF DAYS WITH AT LEAST A QUARTER INCH OF PRECIPITATION
(10) IS SECOND GREATEST FOR JANUARY, TRAILING JUST THE WET JANUARY
OF 1999. SNOW TOTALED 45.6 INCHES WHICH IS THE 11TH SNOWIEST JANUARY
ON RECORD.  MOST OF THIS SNOW FELL DURING THE 3RD WEEK OF THE MONTH
WHEN TWO LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS OCCURRED, WITH 35.4 INCHES OF SNOW
ACCUMULATING FROM THE 14TH TO THE 20TH AT THE BUFFALO AIRPORT. TWO
DAILY SNOWFALL RECORDS WERE ESTABLISHED, WITH THE 8.6 INCHES ON THE
14TH AND 7.9 INCHES ON THE 18TH ESTABLISHING NEW DAILY RECORDS.
HOWEVER THE GREATEST DAILY SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON THE 17TH, WITH 12.0
INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED. THE SNOW DEPTH BUILT UP TO 21 INCHES THIS
MONTH, BECOMING JUST THE 18TH JANUARY ON RECORD TO RECORD A SNOW
DEPTH OF AT LEAST 20 INCHES.

THE MILD START TO WINTER CONTINUED INTO THE FIRST HALF OF JANUARY
WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES RECORDED THROUGH THE 13TH. THERE WERE
TWO RELATIVELY CLOSE WIND EVENTS THIS MONTH THAT PRODUCED WIDESPREAD
WIND DAMAGE. BOTH EVENTS FEATURED STRONG SOUTHEASTERLY DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS, NOT THE COMMON SOUTHWEST WIND DIRECTION FOR HIGH WIND EVENTS.
THE FIRST EVENT, ON THE 9TH AND 10TH OF THE MONTH WAS FOLLOWED BY
THE SECOND EVENT ON THE 13TH AND 14TH OF THE MONTH. SOUTHWEST WINDS
BEHIND A COLD FRONT ON THE 14TH PRODUCED A SEICHE ON LAKE ERIE OF
7.4 FEET. THIS COLD FRONT ALSO BROUGHT THE BEGINNING OF AN 8-DAY
STRETCH OF MORE TYPICAL WINTER CHILL. LAKE EFFECT SNOW ON THE 13TH
BEGAN NEAR THE BUFFALO METRO AREA BEFORE SETTLING SOUTHWARD BRIEFLY.
THIS BAND OF SNOW LIFTED BACK TOWARDS THE AIRPORT EARLY ON THE 14TH,
AND ACROSS NIAGARA COUNTY DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE
14TH. BY LATER IN THE MORNING THIS BAND SETTLED BACK SOUTHWARD
ACROSS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS, WHERE IT LARGELY REMAINED THROUGH THE
MORNING OF THE 15TH. LATER, THIS SNOWBAND LIFTED BACK NORTHWARD
ACROSS THE BUFFALO NORTHTOWNS AND NIAGARA COUNTY WHERE IT DIMINISHED
TO FLURRIES. SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW FELL DURING THIS EVENT ACROSS THE
BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS, WITH HEAVY IMPACTS ACROSS THE COUNTY OF ERIE
WITH TRAVEL BANS AND A FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAME DATE SHIFTED. AFTER A
SYNOPTIC WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE PASSED ACROSS THE REGION WITH A LIGHT
GENERAL SNOWFALL, ANOTHER BAND OF HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW FORMED
ACROSS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS LATE ON THE 16TH. THIS BAND OF SNOW
AGAIN OSCILLATED ACROSS ERIE COUNTY THROUGH THE 18TH. SEVERAL FEET
OF SNOW ACCUMULATED WITH THIS EVENT ACROSS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS
AND PROVIDED A WEEKLY TOTAL OF SIX FEET TO SEVERAL BUFFALO SOUTHTOWN
COMMUNITIES. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT LIGHT SYNOPTIC SNOWS TO
WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 19TH. NORTHERLY FLOW BEHIND THIS SYSTEM
BROUGHT LAKE SNOWS NOW CONCENTRATED TO THE SOUTH OF LAKE ERIE AND
ONTARIO, WITH DAY TO DAY ACCUMULATIONS ON THE 19TH THROUGH THE 21ST
ADDING UP TO AROUND A FOOT OF SNOW SOUTH OF LAKE ONTARIO. WINTER`S
BRIEF APPEARANCE ENDED ON THE 24TH WHEN TEMPERATURES WARMED INTO THE
LOWER 40S WITH WIDESPREAD RAINFALL. THIS RAIN RIPENED THE SNOWPACK,
SUCH THAT THE INCH OF RAINFALL ON THE 26TH MELTED THE SNOWPACK
PRODUCING POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING. WHILE ICE JAMS OCCURRED ON AREA
CREEKS THEIR IMPACTS WERE MANAGEABLE DUE TO THIN ICE THICKNESS.
SEVERAL CREEKS AND RIVERS ROSE TO NEAR OR BEYOND BANKFULL DURING
THIS WARM STRETCH, INCLUDING THE ELLICOTT CREEK AND TONAWANDA CREEK.
A LITTLE LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW ENDED THE MONTH WITH LITTLE IMPACT. THE
FINAL DAY FEATURED A SUNNY START, ONE OF ONLY TWO DAYS (16TH) TO
FEATURE ANY MEANINGFUL SUNSHINE.

THE WATER TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ERIE STARTED AT RECORD LEVELS FOR THE
MONTH, WITH 43F DEGREES MEASURED THE FIRST 4 DAYS. THE COOLEST THE
LAKE TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO WAS 34 DEGREES TOWARDS THE MONTH`S END.
IN THE COOL MID MONTH PERIOD, SOME LIGHT SHORELINE ICE FORMED. WINDS
AVERAGED ABOUT 2 MPH BELOW NORMAL. THE STRONGEST GUST WAS FROM THE
SOUTHEAST ON THE 9TH, WITH A SPEED OF 70 MPH DURING THE EARLY
AFTERNOON. 

IN ALL, A FEW WEEKS OF IMPACTFUL WEATHER MID-MONTH, OTHERWISE MILD,
WET AND CLOUDY.  

&&

THOMAS

$$


USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.