METEOROLOGICAL WINTER (December 1st-current)
The winter started off mild and even stirred up a record high temperature in Indianapolis back on December 3rd when we tied the 69° record set back in 1982. After recording 64° on the 1st we did have one of the warmest opens to a December in 17 years, since 1995 (62°). This was the 18th time in 50 years, a December opened at 50° or higher. The most recent was back in 2009 with 54°.By the end of the first 10 days the average high was 55.1° (13° above normal) while the average low was 40.8° (13.5° above normal). This put the average temperature at 48°, which was about 13° above normal. Temperatures were back and forth with a cold finish. From December 11th-31st, there was 5 days that were below normal. The month finished averaging 6.8° per day above normal at 38.4°. The month did go down as the 19th out of the past 24 months (since January 2011) to finish above normal. By the way the months of January 2011, September 2011, September 2012, October 2012, and November 2012 are the only 5 months that have been below normal since January 2011.
The big talk of December was the snowy end to the month, a month that finished as the 7th most snowiest December on record with 14.8". The other 6 snowy Decembers was (1) 1973: 27.5" (2) 1895: 21.5" (3) 2010: 16.6" (4) 2000: 16.3" (5) 1981: 15.6" (6) 1977: 15.2"
We had one of the biggest snow depths in years on December 29 of 10". We opened the New Year with a 77.1% snow coverage in the midwest. The national snow coverage was 66.6%. But not many (hefty) snow systems have moved through our region this month. The coverage in the midwest went down to 12.7% on January 24th, while the national coverage dropped to 39.6%. We did have a 6 day run at high temperatures above 40° from the 8th-13th. Then much of the nation went to a deep freeze. Here in Indianapolis, we went down to as low as 4° on the 22nd and that days high temperatures only topped 18°. The average high temperature from the 14th-23rd is suppose to be 35.4°. The actual average high for this period is 32.4° which is 3° below normal. The average low temperatures from the 14th-23rd is suppose to be 20°. The actual average low temperatures for this period is 17.8°, which is 2.2° below normal. This puts the 10 day average temperature for this period at 25.1° which is 2.6° below the normal average temperature of 27.7° for this period.
Overall, the season is still mild. 36 out of the past 55 days this season has been above normal which equates to 65.4% of the season above normal. Since December 1st we've had 5 days with highs in the 60s, 9 days in the 50s, 16 days in the 40s, 17 days in the 30s, 7 days in the 20s, and 1 day with a high temperatures in the teens. The average high for December 1st-January 24th should be 37.3°. The actual average high is 40.9, which is 3.6° above normal.
So far this season we've had 4 days with lows in the single digits, 11 in the teens, 19 in the 20s, 14 in the 30s, 5 in the 40s, and 2 days with low temperatures in the 50s. The average low for December 1st-January 24th should be 22.6°. The actual average low is 26.6°, which is 4° above normal.
Here's a look back at the weather observations for this month:
| DATE | HIGH | LOW | PRECIP | SNOW | SPECIAL NOTES |
| JAN 1 | 31 | 14 | 0.01 | 0.3" | This Was The Last Time We Saw Measurable Snowfall |
| JAN 2 | 22 | 5 | NONE | NONE | (1) Coldest Day of Month & Season So Far (2) Coldest Morning since -1° on Feb. 10, 2011 (3) Coldest Afternoon since 19° on Jan. 19, 2012 |
| JAN 3 | 30 | 10 | TRACE | TRACE | |
| JAN 4 | 29 | 18 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 5 | 38 | 18 | 0.01" | TRACE | |
| JAN 6 | 35 | 25 | TRACE | TRACE | |
| JAN 7 | 36 | 16 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 8 | 43 | 23 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 9 | 48 | 31 | 0.10" | NONE | |
| JAN 10 | 43 | 29 | 0.09" | NONE | |
| JAN 11 | 57 | 43 | 1.09" | NONE | |
| JAN 12 | 64 | 46 | 1.28" | NONE | (1) Warmest Day of Month (2) Record Rainfall beats previous record of 1.19" in 1930 |
| JAN 13 | 56 | 22 | 1.27" | NONE | 5 Day Rainfall Total 3.83" |
| JAN 14 | 23 | 16 | TRACE | TRACE | |
| JAN 15 | 30 | 19 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 16 | 33 | 23 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 17 | 40 | 21 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 18 | 40 | 19 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 19 | 53 | 37 | NONE | NONE | |
| JAN 20 | 42 | 21 | TRACE | TRACE | |
| JAN 21 | 22 | 9 | TRACE | TRACE | |
| JAN 22 | 18 | 4 | NONE | NONE | (1) Coldest Afternoon since 19° on JAN 13, 2012 (2) Coldest Morning since -1° on FEB 10, 2011 |
| JAN 23 | 23 | 9 | TRACE | TRACE | |
| JAN 24 | 23 | 11 | TRACE | TRACE |
-Average Low is 20.8°. This is 0.3° above normal.
-Average Temperature (combo of high and low) is 29°. This 1° above normal.
-As of January 25th, the months precipitation amount is 3.95". This is 1.77" above normal for the period of January 1st-25th. The average amount for the entire month is 2.66", so this is 1.29" above normal for the entire month.
-As of January 25th, the months snowfall amount is 1.5". This is 5.4" below normal for the period of January 1st-25th. The average amount for the entire month is 8.6". Right now, we are 7.1" below normal for the entire month.
TODAY
The NWS Indianapolis, IN officially recorded 1.2" of snowfall this morning. This now puts the total snowfall for the month at 1.5". We are seeing a mixture of clouds with plenty of sunshine this afternoon. Afternoon temperatures are in the middle to upper 20s. The unofficial morning low was 18°
TONIGHT
The skies will clear up tonight paving the way for a chilly night. Temperatures will fall back towards the lower teens.
THIS WEEKEND
We are watching a ice storm event that will stir up to our West that could lead to dangerous weekend for places in eastern Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and southern Michigan. This is not a huge ice storm event but enough to accumulate to a quarter to possibly a half inch. This will lead to a treacherous travel on the roads.
It will be sunny and quiet in Indiana on Saturday with temperatures still remaining on the chilly side. Highs are expected to be in the mid 20s.
Sunday, is where things begin to get a little dicey for us. Temperatures will try to rise. We will get a bit of a wintry mix. Expect some snow, sleet, and even freezing rain for Sunday & Sunday Evening. Highs are expected to go above freezing to around 33°. These temperatures will remain fairly steady throughout Sunday night, if not actually rise. By Monday Morning, we expect this to be an all rain event. The monday morning commute to work will be quiet a mess. Please be Careful and drive with caution. Slow Down!
NEXT WEEK
Temperatures will be on the rise but the rain chances stick around. Mid to upper 40s on Monday but mid to upper 50s for Tuesday. Areas to our south could see severe weather. Certainly can't rule out the chance for a thunderstorm here in Indianapolis. Wednesday is a little tricky to forecast. We are expecting a Frontal Passage. This means the winds will shift and the temperatures will fall back. Timing is everything. Whether at midnight or later in the afternoon, temperatures should be around the low to mid 40s. The day should be fairly dry, I expect more clouds than sunshine. Lows fall back to the upper teens, low 20s Wednesday night. This will set the stage for a much chilly Thursday with highs only in the mid 20s. A chilly end to the month is expected.
UPCOMING...
We'll start the month of February on the chilly side but I think we'll continue to get brief shots of mild air mixed in from time to time. I'll have a more comprehensive look at the February Weather Outlook in an upcoming blog. We are getting into the time of the year where we begin to see our average high and low increase. Starting on Valentines Day the average high gets back into the 40s. But it isn't until mid march where we start seeing the average low go above freezing. A few warm dates to remember, the average date for the our first 70° day is March 16th, first 80° is April 20th, and the first 90° is June 18th.
JANUARY FULL MOON
The full moon in January is called "Wolf Moon". This name was given since Native Americans usually heard wolves howling in hunger. Other names given by various Indian tribes was Old Moon, Snow Moon (usually applied to February Full Moon), Cold Moon, Bear Hunting Moon, and Goose Moon. The moon is expected to be in Full at around 11:38pm on Saturday, January 26th. The next full moon, "Snow Moon", occurs on Monday, February 25th.
DROUGHT ANALYSIS
Drought conditions have shown some improvements this month in the state. You see very little change on January 1st (top left) and January 8th (top right). During this time about 40-42% of the state was abnormally dry including central parts of Indiana. 15-16% of the state (in Northern Indiana) was in a moderate drought.
You can start to see the improvements on January 15th (bottom left) and January 22nd (bottom right). Currently, now only 5% of the state is in a moderate drought while 19% of the state is abnormally dry. Some much needed precipitation moved through from the 9th-13th. This helped in a decrease of drought coverage.
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| JAN. 26 | JAN. 27 | JAN. 28 | JAN. 29 | JAN. 30 | JAN. 31 | FEB. 1 |
| SATURDAY | SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY |
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| MOSTLY SUNNY |
WINTRY MIX |
SHOWERS | T'SHOWERS | CLOUDY | PARTLY SUNNY |
PARTLY SUNNY |
| 26 | 33 | 46 | 56 | 44↓ | 26 | 20 |
| 20 | 33↑ | 39 | 44 | 18 | 13 | 11 |
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