January was one of the least snowy

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - January is quickly coming to an end, and the weather has been quite a roller coaster ride.

From days with record high temperatures and thunderstorms to wind chills well below zero, we've seen it all this month. One thing we haven't seen much of, is snow.

"Since 1877 in West Lafayette, we've had five Januaries where we've had just a trace or no snow," News 18 Chief Meteorologist Chad Evans said. "This January with an inch ranks in the top ten least snowy, so while it's rare, it's not necessarily unprecedented."

The Purdue Agronomy Farm recorded less than an inch and a half of snow for the entire month of January.

Here at WLFI we've had around an inch. That's about 20 percent of the month's average snow accumulation.

Associate State Climatologist Ken Scherringa said the very active, fast-moving subtropical and polar jet patterns can be attributed to why we've seen less snow than normal.

"We've had a real parade of these pressure systems going through in which the cold air, yes it comes, but the mechanism, the low pressure system that would generate the snow, is already long gone," Scherringa said.

Though we've been in a January snow drought, precipitation-wise, it's been a wet month.

Lafayette received nearly 2 inches more precipitation than normal, and it's created a silver lining.

"Most of the precip has fallen as rain, so this is a really good foundation for the upcoming planting season as our drought is now officially gone," Evans said.

As for February, the first week's forecast has a couple of potential accumulating snows.

If models hold together, we may see more snow in the first week of February than in the whole month of January.