January of 2013 was an above average month for temperatures.  It’s easy to forget the first 3 weeks of above average temperatures when we had that week of absolutely frigid weather.  Even with 6 straight days of below freezing temps, the average high temperature for January was 39.2° which is 4.2° over the normal high of 35° for January.

The low temperatures last month were also above normal.  The average low temp at my station in North Haven was 23.4°.  The typical average low for January is 17°.  That’s 6.4° above normal on the low temperatures!

We had several snow events in January but nothing serious.  On the 16th, North Haven picked up 3.75” of snow which was the most that fell at one time all month.  On the 21st, I received another .5” and again on the 28th received 1.5”.  Total for the month was 5.75”.  Average snowfall for the month of January is 9.2” so we fell short of that average as well.

The stormiest day of the month occurred on the last day of the month.  We all remember the very mild temperatures followed by rain and very gusty winds.  At my station, I recorded a 31 mph wind gust in my heavily wooded location.  Just 1 mile to my Northeast, Nick had a 54 mph gust!  I had a tree break in half and fall in my yard.  It just missed hitting the deck which would have caused lots of damage.

Here’s some Data:

Average high: 39.2

Average low: 23.4

Mean: 31.9

Highest : 59.5 – 31st

Lowest: 4.9 – 24th

Rainfall:

Total, including melted snow: 1.68”

Greatest: .49 - 31st

Snowfall:

Total: 5.75”

Greatest: 3.75” - 16th

December of 2012 was above average in temperatures and average in precipitation.  The average high temperature of 45° was 6° above the normal average of 39°.   The average low temperature of 31° was 8° above the normal average of 23°.  The first half of the month was mild while the 2nd half was much colder.

While the amount of liquid precipitation was average at around 4 inches for the month, the snowfall amounts were nearly double the average for North Haven.  12 inches of snow fell in North Haven in December which was above the normal average of 6.5”. 

This December was extra special because we had a nice white Christmas.  Timing couldn’t have been any more perfect as it started snowing on Christmas eve night and through noon on Christmas Day.  North Haven received 3” of fresh snow and it was just enough to make the holiday look like a snow globe. 

What will 2013 bring us?  Will it be more of the same for the United States in 2013 with above average temperatures and extreme drought in the Midwest?  Only time will tell.  Stay tuned for my 2012 year in review in my next article. 

Montowese Station - 2 Mi SSE from North Haven Center

Temperature (°F):
Average Low       31.1°
Average High      44.8°
Monthly Low      23° on 12/31/2012
Monthly High     60° on 12/03/2012

Rainfall (in):
Total                 4.19”
Wettest day      .86”    12/21/12

Wind (mph):
Highest Gust     24 mph 

Barometric Pressure
Monthly High     30.57”   12/01/12
Monthly Low     29.08”     12/21/12   

November of 2012 will do down as one of the driest Novembers on record in Connecticut.  All .89” of precipitation was measured as snowmelt from two separate snow events last month.  Having two snow events so early in the season is also quite rare in Connecticut.

At my station in North Haven, I picked up 12 inches of snow from the Nov. 7th Nor’easter!

Last month was also the first time we had a month with below average temperatures in 20 months! The streak has ended! Check out Ralph Fato’s article about historical cool Novembers in Connecticut to really get a good idea as to how rare this November was!

The average high temperature for November is 52° and the average last month was 49.7° putting me over 2 degrees below normal for the month.  Average lows were right at the normal level at about 32°.

The warmest day of the month occurred on the 12th when we reached 67°.  The coldest day was on the 27th when it was only 35°.  The temperature failed to reach 50° for the last 7 days of November which helped push the average for the month into a net below normal range.

Here is a summary:

Montowese Station - 2 Mi SSE from North Haven Center

Temperature (°F):
Average Low       32.5°
Average High      49.7°
Monthly Low      22° on 11/08/2012
Monthly High     67° on 11/12/2012

Rainfall (in):
Total .89
Wettest day      .49”    11/08/12

Wind (mph):
Highest Gust     27 mph 

Barometric Pressure
Monthly High     30.70”    11/18/12
Monthly Low     29.52”     11/01/12    *was still recovering from Sandy*