Eighth warmest January

   I've crunched the numbers, and today's high of 45 in the Twin Cities increased our average monthly temperature a bit. It won't be official until midnight tonight, but this January should replace 1933 as the eighth warmest January in Twin Cities history. You can see the list of the warmest Januarys in our "modern day" record at the Minnesota State Climatology Office website: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/twin_cities/january_msp_rank.htm
Update Feb1: NWS lists average monthly temperature for January 2012 as 23.3 degrees. That makes it the eighth warmest January In Twin Cities history.
   Our warm winter has saved all of us some money on our heating bills, but it has been frustrating for many cross-country skiers, snowmobilers and ice-fishing fans.  I saw fewer than normal ice-fishing houses out on Lake Minnetonka this (Tuesday) afternoon. This was the view looking out from Excelsior Commons Park:

   Winter isn't over, but there aren't any signs of a severe cold snap or a snowstorm over the next 7 days.

A January of small snows

    On average, January is the snowiest month of the year in the Twin Cities.  Our average monthly snow total for January is 13.5 inches. Through Saturday, our total this January was a meager 4.6 inches.  The largest snowfall on any single day this month was the 1.9 inches that accumulated last Monday morning.  Last January we saw plenty of snow...17 inches was our total here in the Twin Cities.
    Our official Twin Cities snow depth on Saturday morning was one inch, but I saw many large patches of brown grass in my travels around the metro area. Here's how it looked near the clubhouse (winter ski chalet) at Como Golf Course:

   It's a good thing that they can make snow for the skiers and snowboarders at Como.  There were plenty of people enjoying the snow-covered hill:

    You can left-click on the pictures for a larger view.
    We'll probably see a bit of snow tonight (Sunday night) into very early Monday, but no big snowstorms are expected over the next few days. Our wimpy winter continues.

How do you like this winter?

   It's been a whimpy winter so far. Temperatures have been warmer than normal, and we've had very little snow. In the Twin Cities, we had an incredible 45 inches of snow at this point in our snow season one year ago.  We've seen only 10.3 inches of snow so far this fall/winter.
   After the robust winter of last year, many people seem to be enjoying the mild temps and limited snow that we've seen recently.  Although area ski resorts have been able to make plenty of snow, I've heard it said that skiers are less likely to visit ski resorts when there isn't much snow in their own backyards.  Many cross-country skiers, snowmobilers and kids with sleds are hoping for snow, but no big snowstorms are showing up on the computer models over the next 7-10 days.
    At least we're all saving on our heating bills.  I wonder if anyone has figured out the net effect that this type of winter weather has on our Minnesota economy.
    You can send comments about this blog to rontrenda@gmail.com .  Let me know if you'd like your comment posted on this blog.