January 2018 Climate Summary

January 2018 Climate Review: Temperatures ranged from 3 to 5 degrees below normal across the region. Through the first 19 days of the month, it ranked as the 5th coldest start to January on record in Paducah, KY and the 6th coldest start in Evansville, IN. We had two brutal cold snaps, one during the first week of the month and the next from January 12th to 19th. Temperatures were on a roller coaster ride from highs in the 60s on January 11th, then stuck in the teens on the afternoon of the 16th, and finally back into the 60s by the 21st! The last 11 days of the month brought warmer temperatures, even a few days into the 60s, which helped to bring up the average temperature for the month after the frigid start.

Our region was impacted by 2 significant snowstorms in January. The first occurred as a cold front blasted through the area during the late evening and overnight on January 11th, resulting in rain changing to a brief period of freezing rain followed by sleet. Finally a band of snow developed by the morning of the 12th, with western Kentucky experiencing the brunt of the heavier snowfall amounts (localized totals of 6 to 7 inches!). Another cold front pushed through on January 15th and stalled over the region, producing another healthy snow event. Amounts with this event were upwards of 5 to 8+ inches across portions of southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, and far southern Illinois. At the NWS Office in Paducah, we officially had measurable snow on the ground for 8 days in a row! This is a fairly rare feat for this part of the country.

As far as overall precipitation, it varied quite a bit across the region. An area of above normal precipitation stretched from the Jackson Purchase area of west Kentucky into extreme southern Illinois and northeastward into the Evansville Tri-State region. In portions of southeast Missouri around the Ozark Foothills and up into parts of southwest Illinois, precipitation was below normal for the month. The same was true for the far southeast portion of our forecast area around Elkton, KY. Above normal snowfall was experienced in many locations, except in our northwest counties from Van Buren and Perryville, MO to Carbondale, IL. It was officially the 4th snowiest January on record in Paducah, KY with 12.4” between the two snow events. This actually surpassed our seasonal average which is around 9 to 10 inches.