It was warmer and wetter than normal during January in Trenton, with combined low temperatures above normal by 5.4 degrees and combined high temperatures above normal by 1 degree.
Highs for the month averaged 36.3 degrees in Trenton, with the warmest day being January 21st, with 53 degrees. That was among three days during the month in which temperatures reached the 50s in Trenton. Highs reached the 40s on seven days.
Lows in Trenton during January averaged 24.7 degrees, which was the warmest low temperatures since the year 2006, when they averaged 30.4 degrees. The 24.7 degrees last month was the sixth warmest January in Trenton since 1980 when comparing only low temperatures. Lows last month in Trenton dropped into the single digits just once. It was one above zero on Thursday morning, January 28th, which was the coldest temperature so far this winter season, but only the third day this winter in which lows dropped into the single digits. There were single digits twice in December, arriving on Christmas morning and Christmas Eve morning.
Precipitation during January in Trenton totaled 2.09 inches, which is 92 hundredths of an inch above normal. Much of that surplus came when 91 hundredths of an inch of rain were measured in the 24 hour period ending Sunday morning, January 31st.
Trenton received 9.2 inches of snow and sleet during January, which is about three inches above average for the month since 1970; however, that average is based on some years with a lot of snow and others with very little. Since 1970 there have been 27 years with less than 5 inches of January snow.
January snowfall has picked up of late. There were 13.3 inches in 2020, 17 inches in 2019 following ½ of an inch in 2018, and 1-1/4 inches in 2017.
The National Weather Service’s climate prediction center, entering January, predicted above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation were favored for the Trenton area, which turned out to be accurate.
The outlook for February predicts below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation are favored for this part of the nation. The prediction on temperatures is by a moderate margin, while the chance for above-normal precipitation is slightly favored.
