KDSN RADIO News
January in Iowa was near top ten in least amount of snow
The rumbling sound of snowblowers at work was rare in January. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says there just wasn’t much snow anywhere.
“We’re in a snow drought across the state, anywhere from 14 to 22, inches below average for this season, we had about two inches of snowfall in January, a little over six inches below average. Near the top ten least snowy January is on record,” Glisan says. Glisan says there wasn’t much precipitation of any kind for most of January.
“We were working on the second driest January in 153 years of records, and the rainfall event across southern Iowa to end the month actually boosted the average a little over three-tenths of an inch across the state, seven-tenths of an inch below average,” he says.
The top of the state had the biggest deficit. “The northern third of the state, driest January on record,” Glisan says. The statewide average puts us right around the 15th driest, again, out of 153 years of records.” Glisan says the dry January creates a situation that could be a problem if the snow picks up the rest of the winter.
“A lack of snowpack through the season has allowed a frost depth down to about 22 inches in central Iowa. That has implications if we do get a snowpack on the ground,” Glisan says. Glisan says if we do get snow the deeper frost will take longer to thaw and more of the water will run off instead of sinking into the soil.
Glisan says January had some ups and downs, but the overall temperature wasn’t too out of normal. “We’re about a degree below average. We came in about eighteen-point-four (18.4) degrees, preliminarily, so not exceedingly warm, not exceedingly cold. We did have a cold snap during the middle of the month and then warmed up towards the end. So when you get that roller coaster-type activity, it basically averages out,” he says.
Glisan says early indications are for a colder and wetter February.
