Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
707 CXUS51 KBUF 030755 CLMROC CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 832 AM EST THU FEB 01 2024 ................................... ...THE ROCHESTER 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 74 01/25/1950 LOW -17 01/16/1994 HIGHEST 52 01/09 45 01/12 01/10 LOWEST 5 01/17 17 01/31 AVG. MAXIMUM 35.0 33.4 1.6 36.7 AVG. MINIMUM 25.2 19.0 6.2 28.8 MEAN 30.1 26.2 3.9 32.8 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 11 15.7 -4.7 6 DAYS MIN <= 32 21 27.2 -6.2 22 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 2.3 -2.3 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 8.05 1878 MINIMUM 0.52 1921 TOTALS 4.18 2.55 1.63 3.54 DAYS >= .01 23 18 DAYS >= .10 13 8 DAYS >= .50 1 2 DAYS >= 1.00 1 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.16 01/26 TO 01/26 0.97 01/04 TO 01/04 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 61.3 2004 TOTALS 25.6 27.4 -1.8 8.6 SINCE 7/1 34.4 57.9 -23.5 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 1 DAYS >= 1.0 8 8.3 -0.3 3 DAYS >= 0.1 18 11 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 9 01/21 3 01/15 01/27 24 HR TOTAL 5.5 01/20 TO 01/21 2.3 01/13 TO 01/13 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 1073 1203 -130 992 SINCE 7/1 2995 3470 -475 MM COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 37/270 37/250 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 56/290 DATE 01/10 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.91 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 0 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 3 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 28 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 76 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3 LIGHT RAIN 12 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 6 LIGHT SNOW 25 SLEET 0 FOG 23 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 4 HAZE 3 - 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 FULL DAYS OF SUNSHINE LACKING. THE FIRST AND LAST WEEKS OF THE MONTH WERE QUIET AND WARM, WHILE THE MIDDLE WEEKS OF THE MONTH FEATURED TWO HIGH END WIND EVENTS, AND SEVERAL LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS FOR THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA. THE COMBINATION OF THESE LAKE EFFECT EVENTS AND GENERAL RAINFALL PUSHED THE PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TO 13TH WETTEST ON RECORD. THE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH AVERAGED 30.1F. THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS JUST 1.6F DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, WHILE THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE AVERAGED WELL ABOVE NORMAL, COMING IN AT 6.2F DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE COMBINED DECEMBER AND JANUARY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 35.0F IS SECOND WARMEST IN 153 YEARS OF RECORD FOR THIS 2-MONTH STRETCH, AND WARMEST SINCE 1931-32. 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 4TH GREATEST IN RECORDED HISTORY. DESPITE THE WARM MONTH, THERE WERE NO TEMPERATURE RECORDS SET. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 4.18 INCHES FOR THE MONTH, FINISHING TIED FOR 13TH 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. THE NUMBER OF DAYS (23 DAYS) WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WAS 4 DAYS MORE THAN NORMAL (19 DAYS). SNOW TOTALED 25.6 INCHES WHICH IS JUST A COUPLE INCHES SHY OF NORMAL. LIGHT SNOW THROUGH MUCH OF THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF THE MONTH, WITH THE GREATEST DURING THE WEEKEND OF JANUARY 19TH TO 21ST WHEN A FOOT OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW ACCUMULATED ACROSS MUCH OF THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA ON A NORTHERLY FLOW OFF LAKE ONTARIO. THE SNOW DEPTH BUILT TO 9 INCHES THIS MONTH WHICH IS AVERAGE. 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. BEHIND A COLD FRONT ON THE 13TH, THE FOLLOWING 8 DAYS FEATURED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. LAKE EFFECT SNOW ON THE 13TH THROUGH THE 15TH OSCILLATED ACROSS THE BUFFALO METRO AREA, OCCASIONALLY REACHING AS FAR EAST AS ROCHESTER. AFTER A SYNOPTIC WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE PASSED ACROSS THE REGION WITH A LIGHT GENERAL SNOWFALL ON THE 16TH, 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. WHILE THIS BAND OF SNOW AGAIN EXTENDED TO ABOUT THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA ON A SOUTHWEST FLOW OFF LAKE ERIE, A NORTH TO NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE OPEN LAKE ONTARIO WATERS ON THE 19TH THROUGH 21ST BROUGHT DAY-TO-DAY LAKE EFFECT SNOWFALL THAT ADDED UP TO AROUND A FOOT OF FLUFFY SNOW ACROSS THE NORTHERN GENESEE VALLEY. WINTER`S BRIEF APPEARANCE ENDED ON THE 24TH WHEN TEMPERATURES WARMED INTO THE LOWER 40S WITH WIDESPREAD RAINFALL. THIS 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 BLACK CREEK AND IRONDEQUOIT CREEK. A LITTLE LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW ENDED THE MONTH WITH LITTLE IMPACT. THE FINAL DAY FEATURED A SUNNY START, A RARE PERIOD OF SUNSHINE FOR THE MONTH. WINDS AVERAGED 1.3 MPH BELOW NORMAL. THE STRONGEST GUST WAS DURING THE FIRST MAJOR WIND EVENT ON THE 10TH, WITH THIS GUST FROM THE WEST AT 56 MPH DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON. IN ALL A FEW WEEKS OF IMPACTFUL WEATHER MID-MONTH, OTHERWISE MILD, WET AND CLOUDY. && THOMAS $$