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State of the Climate
National Overview
January 2007

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center

Use the form below to access monthly reports.

« Annual 2006
National Overview Report
February 2007 »
National Overview Report

Maps and Graphics:


January Most Recent 3 Months Most Recent 6 Months
Most Recent 12 Months Year-to-Date US Percent Area Very Wet/Dry/Warm/Cold
Annual Summary for 2006

PLEASE NOTE: All temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate Monitoring Products page.


For graphics covering periods other than those mentioned above or for tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895-present, for January, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page.
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National Overview:


January For information on local temperature and precipitation records during the month of January, please visit NCDC's Extremes page.

  • Across the United States, extreme drought conditions were observed in areas of Wyoming and Nebraska, as well as northern Minnesota and parts of Texas. Exceptional drought was limited to areas of south Texas. For more information on drought during January, please visit the U.S. Drought page.

  • El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are indicative of a weak warm episode (El Niño) in the tropical Pacific basin. Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) in the Equatorial Pacific decreased to between 0.5°C and 1.0°C above average in most of the Niño regions. Current forecasts indicate the likely development of ENSO-neutral conditions during March - May 2007. For additional information on ENSO conditions, please visit the NCDC ENSO Monitoring page and the latest NOAA ENSO Advisory.
For additional details, see the Monthly and Seasonal Highlights section below and visit the January Climate Summary page. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe please visit NCDC's Global Hazards page.
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Monthly and Seasonal Highlights:


National:

For additional national, regional, and statewide data and graphics from 1895-present, for January, the last 3 months or other periods, please visit the Climate At A Glance page.
  • January 2007 was the 49th warmest January in the 1895-2007 record.  The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 31.80°F (-0.11°C), which was 0.94°F (0.52°C) above the 1901-2000 (20th century) mean.

  • January had near-average precipitation nationally, ranking as the 47th driest January in the 1895-2007 record. An average of 2.07 inches (53 mm) fell over the contiguous U.S. in January, 0.15 inches (4 mm) below the 20th century mean for the month.

  • The 3-month period (November - January) was the 7th warmest in the 1895-to-present record, 2.38°F (1.32°C) above the 20th century mean. The preliminary nationally averaged November - January temperature was 37.97°F (3.32°C). A total of 6.98 inches (177 mm) of precipitation fell during this 3-month period, which corresponds to a ranking of 33rd wettest.

  • The 6-month (August-January) national average temperature was the 13th warmest such period on record. The nationally-averaged temperature was 51.10°F (10.61°C), which was 1.14°F (0.63°C) above the 20th century mean. At 15.50 inches (394 mm), August-January precipitation was above average and ranked as the 13th wettest such period in the 1895-2007 record.

  • February 2006 - January 2007 was the 6th warmest such period in the 1895-2007 record.  The preliminary nationally-averaged annual temperature was 54.41°F (12.45°C), which was 1.62°F (0.90°C) above the mean. Precipitation was near the mean for the February 2006 - January 2007 period, ranking it as the 48th driest February-January in the 112-year record.  The nationally-averaged annual precipitation accumulation was 29.02 inches (737 mm), or 0.12 inches (3 mm) below the 20th century mean.

Regional and Statewide:
  • January precipitation across Texas was 6th wettest on record. California was 3rd driest and Utah was the 10th driest on record. The West region was 3rd driest on record.

  • November - January temperatures across Connecticut, New Hampshire , and New Jersey ranked 2nd warmest on record. West Virginia was 6th driest, and Washington was the 6th wettest for the period.

  • In the Northeast, East North Central, and Central regions, November - January temperatures were much above average.

  • Temperatures over the past 6-months (August-January) were much-above-average in the Northeast and the East North Central regions having their 4th and 10th warmest such periods on record, respectively. Precipitation across the Northeast region was the 9th wettest August-January period on record. The West region ranked 3rd driest during this period.

  • August - January temperatures were much above average for fifteen states. New Jersey was 2nd warmest for the period. Colorado and New Mexico had below normal temperatures for the 6-month period. Indiana ranked 2nd wettest for August - January. California experienced its 5th driest such period on record.

  • February 2006 - January 2007 was either warmer or much-warmer-than-average for all of the contiguous U.S. New Jersey was record warmest for the 12-month period. New Hampshire and Indiana ranked 2nd wettest for the period.

See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of January.

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PLEASE NOTE: All of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate Monitoring Products page.

Questions?

For questions on technical or scientific content of this report, please contact:

Chris Fenimore:
Chris.Fenimore@noaa.gov

For general climate monitoring questions, please contact:

CMB.Contact@noaa.gov

For climate data orders, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services and Monitoring Division:

NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov

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