Press "Enter" to skip to content

Pretty cold January in Berks helped keep a little snow a long time

January was the coldest month in Berks County since the record-setting chill of February 2015 and among the 10 coldest of the century by average temperature.

It was no great shakes by snowfall standards with 9 inches officially for the month. The little snow that did fall stayed around because of the cold.

The pattern typically begins to change with February: Shorter arctic incursions with greater chances for heavier snows and faster melting. There are exceptions, such as February 2015.

For the moment, the forecast is for warming conditions into the workweek and sunny skies at least through Wednesday.

Of records

There were two records set last month and one of them was for precipitation, with a 0.66-inch tally — mostly slushy snow — at Reading Regional Airport on the 17th knocking off the easiest target on the calendar at 0.59 inch.

“At only 0.66, it bettered the lowest date precipitation record of all 366 days of the year,” said Berks weather historian Jeffrey R. Stoudt. “And the new 0.66 is still the weakest.”

That’s after 124 shots at it, since the official database begins with 1898. It’s among only a handful of days in the year that still have a date record of under 1 inch.

Even the Feb. 29 record is 0.98 inch.

Of ice days

It was a persistently cold regime that set up in January after a warm two days to start the month. The month had nine days the temperature did not get above freezing, known as ice days.

That is the average number for January. There were three near-miss 33-degree highs in the final five days of the month.

January 2004 remains the king of ice days this century at 21. As recently as January 2018 there were more such days than last month. January 2018 had 13, driven largely by the lengthy arctic siege that began in the final week of 2017.

Other high totals this century were 18 in January 2003; 16, January 2009 and January 2011; 15, December 2000 and February 2015; 14, February 2007, January 2000 and February 2014; and 13 as well in February 2003, January 2014 and January 2015.

Some of those months had more offsetting warmth last month.

The king of ice days remains January 1977, when nearly every one was freezing or lower.

Of averages

Last month finished at an average temperature of 27.9 degrees at the airport, a chilly 2.9 below the normal of 30.8.

But, normal isn’t what it used to be.

Currently, normal in Berks is the average of the years 1991 to 2020, a rather warm set of years that has yielded that 30.8 degrees.

By contrast, the 1971-2000 Berks averages are the coldest on record and that January normal was 29.1. So, even by that standard last month was still subnormal.

The balmiest January average is 32.8 degrees from the 1931-1960 dataset. That set of years has seven of the 10 warmest Januaries in the entire record period — to this day.

Coldest months by average temperature this century are:

• 20.5: February 2015

• 23.2: January 2004

• 24.1: January 2014

• 25.0: January 2003, February 2007, January 2009

• 26.2: January 2011

• 27.9: January 2022

• 28.3: January 2000

• 28.6 January 2018

For being in warm cycle, this century has made a respectable showing, logging one month among the coldest 10 of all time. It’s the only exception to a list populated from the cold periods of the 124-year database, which are the first two decades of last century and the 1970s through 1996.

The coldest months at official sites in Berks by average:

• 15.9: January 1977

• 19.8: January 1918 and January 1994

• 20.5: February 2015 and February 1978

• 20.7: December 1989

• 20.9: January 1982

• 21.3: January 1912

• 21.6: January 1904 and January 1988

February 2015 was colder than February 1978 if the calculation is taken to a second decimal point. It turned out to be nearly 1 degree with the more precise calculation.

There are snippets of data surviving from earlier than 1898 but they are not included in the database.

Pre-1912 observations were taken in Reading by city workers. Then the U.S. Weather Bureau records began, which transitioned into the National Weather Service in 1969.

However, the weather service hasn’t stationed anyone in Berks like the weather bureau era when meteorologists occupied center city offices. The weather service relied on measurements from Met-Ed and later UGI Utilities Inc. before the automated equipment at Reading Regional Airport came online in early 1999.

In the first decade of this century, the weather service decommissioned UGI for snowfall totals and Stoudt stepped in to provide the most reliable measurement.

January weather

Temperature: 27.9°

Normal: 30.8°

Precipitation: 2.76″

Normal: 2.97″

Snowfall: 9.0″ (Season, 9.0″)

Records

Mildest low: 50° on the 1st (tie, 1966)

Precipitation: 0.66 on the 17th (0.59, 1952)

Snow totals

Monthly snowfall totals from the Berks Area Rainfall Networks: Bernville, 10.4 inches; Knauers, 9.6; Adamstown, 9.5; Henningsville, 9.2; Mohnton (1) and Cornwall Terrace, 9.1; Lincoln Park and Vinemont, 9; New Morgan – 3.45/8.9; Lobachsville, 8.6; Wyomissing Highlands, 8.5; Boyers Junction and Hamburg, 8.1; Elverson, 7.8; Shillington, 7.5; Kutztown, 6.6; Mertztown, 6.0; Shartlesville, 5.5; and Gilbertsville, 5.2.


Source: Berkshire mont

Be First to Comment

    Leave a Reply