January: plenty wet and snow

It rained and rained and rained last month and in between it snowed. Rain fell 27 days, including snow. There was no school Jan. 14-15. Last month’s 5.9” of rain was 1.8” more than the century’s average of 4.1”, or 44% above. It was the third wettest January since 2000 and one of five years of over 5”. Six of the 11 years of 4” or more of rain have been since 2011. The highest rainfall was 6.5” in 2006. This century there have been 15 years of at least 3” of rain.

There was 1.4” of rain Jan. 5-7 and again the 27-31. Another 1.1” fell Jan. 10-12, for 2.5” Jan. 5-12. The month ended with 1.9” or rain Jan. 26-Feb. 1.

With 0.01” of sprinkles in the 11 p.m hour Feb. 2 and rain Monday the first five hours starting at 12 a.m., rain has fallen 16 days in a row.

The 1.8” of precipitation in 2019 was the second driest in two decades, with 1.6” in 2017 the driest. Oddly, five of the driest years have been since 2010. Still, rainfall for the month has averaged 4.1” the last 10 years, the century average.

There were eight frost days, all between Jan. 8-17. Jan. 13-14 did not rise above freezing. The low Jan. 14 was 19.6 degrees. The month’s average daily temperature was 43.7 degrees, with an average low of 38.4 and average high of 48.6. These were roughly three degrees above the century averages, though the daily maximum temperature was only 2.7 degrees above that average.

It warmed to 51.5 degrees Jan 18 and was above 50 degrees daily the last two weeks, except for Jan 28, when it was 49.6. The month’s high was 60.7 degrees Jan 3. Highs were in the 40s and 50s the first 12 days.

The Skagit River went above the 28 foot flood level at 5 p.m. Feb. 1. The river crested at 29.45’ 6 a.m. Sunday and went below 28’ 4 p.m. Sunday. The river’s height was 22.79’ 2 p.m. Monday.

Measurements and data are at Washington State University’s Mount Vernon weather station on Memorial Highway.