January rainfall came in way below normal at only 0.74 inch. We had only four days with measureable rainfall with a greatest one-day total of 0.31 inch on January 27.

We did have a trace of snow and sleet on January 9.

Normal rainfall for January is 3.62 inches. The 2018 Farmer’s Almanac did predict below normal rainfall for January for east Texas.

Temperature-wise, January produced the coldest temperature I’ve recorded since becoming a weather volunteer in December of 1993.

We had a low of 8 degrees on January 17. The previous coldest temperature I’ve recorded was 10 degrees on February 11, 1996.

 2018 RAINFALL BY MONTH IN INCHES

Month                 Rainfall (inches)               Normal                Departure

January              0.74                                       3.62                     -2.88

Totals                  0.74                                     43.81                     -2.88

LOOKING AHEAD TO FEBRUARY:  February is normally our third coldest month of the year. Normal rainfall for February is 3.36 inches.

Over the past several years, February has been our most productive month for snowfall. So for this year, make sure you have your snow plow ready in the event of a tough winter!

According to the 2018 Farmer’s Almanac, February temperatures for east Texas will be slightly below normal with rainfall much above normal.

The above rainfall and temperature data was recorded by Barney Leach, former volunteer co-op weather volunteer for the National Weather Service and former weather volunteer for Channel 8 in Dallas, Channel 10 in Waco, and radio station KNES in Fairfield.