January is typically the coldest month of the year in New York City. This year, however, it was unusually mild with an average temperature of 37°F, which is 4°F above normal.  These numbers reflect the eleven days we had with temperatures above 50°F.

Overall, the city was fairly dry this month with only 3.23 inches of rain. That is 0.42 inches below normal.  In addition, we only had one snowstorm that left us with 4.3 inches of snow. On average, January usually brings us about 7.0 inches of snowfall.

In contrast to this month’s mild and quiet conditions, recall January 2011.  It was cold with an average temperature of 30°F, which is 3°F below normal.  It also brought us 36 inches of snowfall and earned the title of the “snowiest” January on record.  This winter, the Jet Stream has been staying north bringing us relatively warm and dry conditions…at least so far.