How cold was it and how much snow did we have

December closed with extreme cold over the last several days.

Clinton area weather observer Jim Blaess says eight of the last eleven days had below zero temperatures and several record lows were set or tied.

Blaess says on the 26^th there was a record low of 21 below zero. That broke the record for the date of 18 below zero set in 1897 and recorded again in 1930.

He says on the 27^th the low of 16 below zero tied the record for the date set in 1895 and tied in 1976.

The weather observer says the 27 below zero low on the 30^th set a record for the date.  The record had been 20 below set in 1996.  Also on that date, Blaess says the windchill reading of minus 53 was recorded at about 7:30AM.  The high on the 27 was 12 below zero and Blaess says that was the coldest high recorded in a January.  It broke the record of 10 below zero on January 15^th, 2009.  It was second coldest reading in any month.  Blaess says the coldest reading was 15 below on February 2^nd in 1996. The previous 2nd coldest daytime high had been 11 below in 1899.

A record was also set on December 31^st with 29 below zero.  Blaess says that broke the record for the date of 22 below zero set in 1996.  He says it become the coldest reading in a January with the old record of 28 below on January 25^th 1894.

Blaess says the 29 below reading tied the coldest reading recorded in Clinton weather records back to 1890.

The weather observer added that the area had below zero temperatures for 62 straight hours from 3PM on January 29^th to 5AM on February 1^st.

–

The month, Blaess the average temperature was 18.4 degrees which was four degrees below the normal of 22.4.

There was 2.37 inches of precipitation which he says is nearly an inch above normal of 1.45 inches.

Blaess reported 21.2 inches of snow which is the 4^th most in January back to 1888.

He says that’s above the normal of 9.4 inches of snow.  The most snow in January is 32.8 inches in 1979.

In the snow season of October through January, Blaess says there’s been 36.9 inches of snow.  That compares to the average of 19.8 inches over the period.

The Clinton area weather observer says that in February there’s an average of 7.6 inches of snow.  Blaess says the  average high on the 1^st is 32 and the average low is 15 and by the end of the month those 41 and 23.