January is typically the coldest month on the calendar for New York City and this year was no exception. We had nine days where the high temperature did not get above freezing and two overnight lows in the single digits. While there were also a few unseasonably warm days, the multiple bouts of extreme cold brought the city’s average monthly temperature down to 29.9°F. That is 2.7°F below normal.
On the precipitation side of things, the city had 11 days with measurable rainfall. In all, we received a remarkable 5.23 inches of rain, which is 1.58 inches above normal. Of this impressive total, 2.1 inches fell in a single day, January 18th, setting a new daily rainfall record for the date. Snow was also plentiful with 16.9 inches measured in Central Park. Most of this fell during a single storm – a clipper system that transitioned to a nor’easter – at the end of the month. On average, January usually brings the city a total of 7 inches of snow.