January is normally the driest month and coldest month on average in Broadus, with 0.43” of precipitation falling on an “average” January, and an average temperature of 24.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
January of 2023 stayed close to these averages, with 0.45” of precip for the month, and an average of 27.1.
The majority of the precipitation was recorded on January 27th and 28th, with 0.39” of moisture.
The high for the month of 53 degrees came on the 15th, and the low of -16 on the 30th, during a cold snap to end the month which saw three days of below zero lows.
Other than the cold snap as January waned, the temperatures throughout the month were moderate, providing a nice reprieve from the cold and snow of December. Despite the fairly warm daily highs mid-month, the short amount of daylight combined with temperatures that didn’t warm quite enough over much of the area to truly melt off the snow and ice from December, as crusty snow and slick ice remained a constant.
Looking at NOAA weather stations around the area, the Biddle 8 miles SW station began the month with 8” of snow on the ground and recorded no less than 2” through the month, bumping back up to 5-6” in the last week of January. 12” of snow was recorded at that station in the month, with 0.70” of total moisture. This compares to an average of 4.6” and 0.40” of precip. Temperature values were not recorded at this station for the majority of the month.
The Moorhead 9 miles NE station showed a trace of snow depth for most of the month, bumping up to 2” of snow on the 16th, and maintaining measurable depth through end of the month. That station had 0.53” of moisture, compared to a 0.30” average, and 6.8” of snow measured in the month, compared to an average of 5.4”.
The Moorhead station had a low for the month of -19, on the 30th, and topped out at 50, on January 14th.
The Sonnette 7 miles SW station was missing data for the final four days of the month, but still saw a whopping 17.2 of snow in January. This compares to 3.9” on average. They also received 0.93” of precip compared to 0.50” on average. Their high for the month was 55 on the 14th, and a low of 5 on the 19th and 20th, but keep in mind the cold temps around the 30th were not recorded to the NOAA website.
We had heard of staggeringly cold temperatures in late January from the Otter Creek country, and those reports are evidenced by looking at the Fort Howes RAWS station data, which showed a low of -26 on January 30th, which happened to coincide with the power outage.
That station recorded 0.41” of precip in January, and had a high for the month of 50, on the 13th and 14th. The peak wind gust recorded was 43 mph, on January 26, and the average daily maximum gust was 17.7 mph.
The Volborg station, which only records precipitation, had 0.26” in January.
The Powderville 8 miles NNE station had an average snow depth of 2.6” for the month, receiving 4.1” in total. They had 0.69” of precip, compared to an average of 0.43”. The high at that station was 50, on the 9th and 14th, and the low was -15, on the 30th.
The CoCoRaHS station near Boyes had 0.81” of precip in January.
Reader Comments(0)