January 2016: Temperature and Precipitation Near Normal Across Delaware

Figure 1. Delaware statewide mean January temperature (°F) 1895-2016. Red line indicates 1981-2010 normal.

Figure 2. Delaware statewide January precipitation (inches) 1895-2016. Red line indicates 1981-2010 normal.

January Temperatures

Preliminary data indicates that the statewide average temperature in January was 34.2o F; this was 0.1°F above the 1981-2010 normal of 34.1°F (Figure 1). January 2016 was 16.7°F colder than December 2015, which was the warmest December ever recorded.

December Precipitation

Delaware’s statewide precipitation for January 2016 averaged 3.01 inches, 0.1 inches above the 1981-2010 mean (Figure 2). A major snowstorm impacted the State during January 22-24, with significant accumulations blanketing the entire State.

Statewide Spatial Averages

Data from the Delaware Environmental Observing System (DEOS) shows that temperatures were near normal across most of the State, with small departures at most stations (Figure 3). Total liquid precipitation was near, or just below normal across the entire State.

Figure 3. January 2016 average temperature departures (°F) from the 1981-2010 mean based upon DEOS station data.