The month of January saw little in the way of weather drama. Temperatures definitely trended toward the warm side though and while the month’s snowfall came it close to normal, we head into March with a seasonal deficit.
New Year’s Day started the month off cold but then we began a warming trend that saw average temperatures dominantly above normal for the first two weeks of the month. Precipitation was almost entirely absent during the period other than a bit of rain on the 10th.
On the 15th conditions like we expect in January returned – but only for two days. A quick, light shot of snow arrived and temperatures cooled to below normal.
We then returned to largely warmer than normal conditions until the 21st when we got not only our biggest snow of the month, but our biggest of the season so far. Sadly, that was only 4.9 inches of the white stuff.
From there, eight of the last ten days of the month saw above normal temperatures and no precipitation.
Thornton’s average temperature for January 2018 came in at 32.9 degrees. Denver’s long term average for the month is 30.7 degrees. Out at the airport where the Mile High City’s official measurements are taken, it was considerably warmer with an average of 34.7 degrees.
Our high temperatures ranged from a high of 69.3 degrees on the 9th down to a low of 0 degrees on the morning of the 16th. DIA recorded highs of 68 degrees and a low of -4 degrees on those same dates.
On average, Denver receives 0.41 inches of liquid precipitation in January. Thornton was just a hair above that with 0.44 inches and Denver bested that with 0.54 inches.
We recorded 6.1 inches of snow in Thornton during the month while the airport was just a bit higher with 6.4 inches. Both were short of Denver’s January average of 7.0 inches.
Click here to view Thornton’s January 2018 climate report.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
650 AM MST THU FEB 1 2018
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...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2018...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2018
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 76 01/27/1888
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 68 01/09 76 -8 63 01/30
LOWEST -4 01/16 -29 25 -7 01/06
AVG. MAXIMUM 49.2 44.0 5.2 42.3
AVG. MINIMUM 20.1 17.4 2.7 17.7
MEAN 34.7 30.7 4.0 30.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 3 5.5 -2.5 8
DAYS MIN <= 32 28 29.4 -1.4 30
DAYS MIN <= 0 2 1.7 0.3 2
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 2.35 1883
MINIMUM 0.01 1933
1934
1952
TOTALS 0.54 0.41 0.13 0.54
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02
DAYS >= .01 5 4.1 0.9 3
DAYS >= .10 2 0.9 1.1 3
DAYS >= .50 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.30 01/21 TO 01/21
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS 6.4 7.0
RECORD
MAX TOTAL 24.3 1992
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 932 1063 -131 1075
SINCE 7/1 3082 3531 -449 3117
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/07
LATEST 05/05
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/193
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 37/260 DATE 01/30
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 48/270 DATE 01/30
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 6
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 21
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 4
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 49
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORMS 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 MIXED PRECIP 3
LIGHT RAIN 0 RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 FREEZING RAIN 0
HEAVY SNOW 3 HAIL 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SNOW 7
FOG 1 FOG W/VIS <=1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 4
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.