Cold, dry conditions for January

CHAMPAIGN – There wasn’t much snow during January, but the month was colder and drier than normal here in Illinois.

State Climatologist Jim Angel reports average precipitation was only 1.3 inches which is three-quarters of an inch below normal.

“The statewide average temperature was 24.1 degrees and that is 2.3 degrees below normal,” Angel said in his weekly weather summary issued Friday.

The month started out with sub-zero temperatures and ended with both unusually cold and warm stretches. The warmest reading for the month in Illinois was 68 degrees in Jerseyville on Jan. 22. The coldest reading came Jan. 1 at Morrison when the mercury dropped to -24.

“The largest snowfall totals for the month were 9.3 inches reported in both Lake Villa and Gurnee, Illinois, however far southern Illinois received quite a bit of snow as well,” Angel explained.

By the end of January, more than half of the state was either abnormally dry or in the early stages of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.