AUSTIN (KXAN) — The month started out with temperatures unseasonably warm as the first 19 averaged 74.6°, much higher than the average of a little more than 62°. The highest during that time was 84° on January 10. But the last full week of the month, and the final two days especially, brought the normal high to down to 67.6°, 5.1° above normal.

January would be the month where our area would see lows at freezing and below but that only happened twice. Camp Mabry recorded lows of 30° on the 30th and 29° on the 31st during the freezing rain/freezing drizzle event. This brought the average lows down to 45.5°, still warmer than normal by 3.7°.

Thus, the average high for January will be 56.6°, 4.4° above normal.

The Climate Prediction Center’s forecast of a Drier Than Normal month held true with just 1.26″ of rain measured 1.38″ below normal. Rain was measured only ten days in January, with eight of those yielding .01″ or higher days, topped by .82″ on the 24th. There were two days of a trace.

WHAT’S AHEAD

February is the third coldest month of the year with average highs starting in the middle 60s and warming to nearly 70° by the 28th. Records for February show that, yes, highs can reach the 80s and 90s, with the highest record of 99° 2/21/1996.

Lows warm from the low 40s to nearly 50° to the end of the month. There have been several instances where temperatures have dropped below freezing, down to single digits with a record low of one below zero on 2/12/1899.

February is also the driest month with just a normal rain of 1.89″. And, yes, snow will always be a possibility, low as it may be. You only have to go back to 2021 during the middle of the month for the record snow of 5.4″ on February 15.

The Climate Prediction Center is giving us a little hope for denting the drought with a Wetter Than Normal forecast. But, it’s also suggesting a slightly Warmer Than Normal continuation of this ongoing La Niña weather pattern.

Stay tuned.