What a difference from last year at this time. Temperatures in January and February 2016 were 2-6°F above normal across the west while January 2017 ushered in one of the coldest winter months in a while, especially across the PNW and northern Rockies (Figure 1). While portions of the Four Corners region had slightly above normal temperatures in January, the rest of the west was 1-8°F below normal, with areas in the PNW across into the northern Rockies experiencing average temperatures 10°F below normal or more. Largely a result of some bitterly cold air out of North America and the Arctic, the month saw nearly three weeks where daily departures were 20-35°F below average in the interior PNW and northern Rockies.
Leave a comment