Denver Climatological Preview - January 2009 |
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A Preview of Denver's January's Weather - The Coldest Month of the Year
Just how cold can January get? The record low temperature for each day of the month is at least 10 degrees below zero. In addition it is not uncommon for the mercury to drop below the freezing mark every night of the month. During the days, the normal high for every day of the month is either 43 or 44 degrees so it never really warms up much. Indeed, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Denver was 29 degrees below zero on January 9th 1875. That isn’t to say though that it can’t get warm – record high temperatures for the month have hit into the 70’s. Interestingly enough, even though January is the coldest month of the year there is usually not an abundance of inclement weather. It is the second driest month of the year in terms of total precipitation and only the 5th snowiest month. In the not so distant past, an exception to this was in January 1992 when 24.3 inches of snow fell making it the snowiest January in Denver history. In 2006 Denver officially had 15.9 inches of snow (15.0 inches in Thornton) which made it the eighth snowiest January. January weather can be extremely variable but that of course is a characteristic of any month in Denver. Cold blasts of arctic air usually bring several light snows and sub-zero temperatures to the area. However, chinook winds that warm temperatures into the 50s and 60s are also common. These winds may blow as high as 100 miles per hour in and near the foothills. Boulder and the surrounding area often find themselves under high wind warnings. Chinooks are far more common than blizzards during January. As it stands today, Thornton has received 16.3 inches of snow this season while the official Denver measurement at Stapleton is at 10.3 inches. These are considerably below normal as by this point in the snow season Denver normally has 25.6 inches. The average total annual snowfall (July through June) for Denver is 61.7 inches but we do have the two snowiest months yet to come – March and April. The good news is that while the Front Range has been dry,most of the Colorado basins are seeing well above average levels of snowpack. The South Platte and Upper Colorado basins, the two most critical for the Front Range are at 103% and 119% of normal respectively. Overall snowpack levels for the state are at 116% which is quite good. Looking back at January 2008 January 2008 was noteworthy as it was quite dry - the 7th driest January on record in fact - as only 0.08 inch of precipitation was recorded. This was 0.43 inch below the normal of 0.51 inch. Only two days had measurable precipitation, both in the form of snow. Snow as well was quite dismal with a mere 3.1 inches recorded at the old Stapleton International Airport site, 4.6 inches below normal. Thornton received slightly less snow recording only 2.8 inches. Seasonal snowfall through the end of the month increased to 29.5 inches which was below the 33.3 inch normal as well. Temperature wise January was slightly cooler than normal averaging 27.9 degrees which was 1.3 degrees below the normal of 29.2. Temperatures ranged from an official high of 63 degrees on the 27th way down to -3 degrees on the 22nd. Thornton was slightly warmer with a high of 66 degrees and a low of -1.7 degrees. 29 days in the month had lows below freezing (30 in Thornton) which was 1 below the norm. Six days had high temperatures below freezing (5 in Thornton) which was 1 below norm as well. Click here to see the January 2008 climate summary. January 2009 Outlook The National Weather Service 30-day outlook model indicates that January 2009's temperatures will be slightly above normal. The models do not favor anything above or below normal for precipitation so historical norms should be used for guidance. For More Information Temperature Normals and Extremes for January Monthly Temperature, Rainfall and Snowfall Extremes for January
* Historical weather statistics gathered from the National Weather Service's Denver / Boulder forecast office data archives. |
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As we continue on what has been a relatively dry season thus far, cold and dry are the key words to remember when it comes to January. The month is the coldest of the year and the second driest as well. 
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