Wide areas from California to Texas and northeastward to Lake Michigan received no precipitation or only light sprinkles or snow flurries during the week. The heaviest rains fell in the vicinity of the Great Smoky Mountains in south eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina where some totals exceeded 3.00 inches, and in the coastal areas of Washington and Oregon where totals ranged from 5.00 to 8,00 inches.
TEMPERATURE: Unseasonal warmth occurred over southern California and Arizona early in the week. The temperature at Los Angeles, California climbed to 95° Monday afternoon. This is 5° warmer than the previous January record for Los Angeles and only 3° less than the January record for any spot in the United States. On Tuesday, the temperature at Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona reached 88° setting new January high-temperature records for those localities.
At the other extreme, cold arctic air plunged southward over the central and eastern portion of the Country. Bemidji, Minnesota registered 31° below zero and Houlton, Maine 35° below zero Tuesday morning. Parts of the Northeast remained below zero all day Tuesday when the midday reading at Caribou, Maine, was -5°. Subzero temperatures pushed as far southward as northern Missouri where Kirksville registered -6° Tuesday. The bitter cold pushed far southward over the eastern part of the Nation with subfreezing temperatures occurring in the Florida Everglades Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Southerly winds warmed the Great Plains at midweek while cold continued in the east, especially the Southeast. Orlando, Florida registered 47° Wednesday afternoon the same as the maximum at Rapid City, South Dakota and Valentine, Nebraska. On Thursday morning, Fort Myers, Florida and Norfolk, Nebraska had the same minimum temperature, 32°, and Tallahassee, Florida with 11° was 1° colder than Fargo, North Dakota. Pueblo, Colorado set a new January maximum reading with a 78° temperature on Thursday afternoon. A high pressure area, centered over northern Florida Thursday morning moved eastward and temperatures over the eastern part of the Nation warmed rapidly. Southern Texas warmed to the 80's Friday and Sunday afternoons. On Sunday afternoon the warmest spots in the Nation included McAllen, Texas, and Orlando, Florida, both of these localities registering 86°. However, a cold front was pushing southward across the northern Great Plains bringing colder temperatures to the middle portion of the Country. Subzero temperatures were common Sunday morning from northeastern North Dakota to northern Wisconsin.
In general, temperatures averaged warmer than normal over the western half of the Nation and colder than normal over the eastern half. The Great Basin and Rocky Mountains averaged 10° to 14° warmer than normal; the central Appalachians 9° to 11° colder than normal.
L. W. Dye
