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United States records its coolest and driest January in 8 years

The average January temperature and precipitation across the contiguous U.S. was 31°F and 1.60″, respectively

Coolest January for the U.S. since 2014 (Copyright 2022 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

Following the fourth warmest year on record in the United States, we got the new year off to a cool start!

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) the average temperature across the contiguous United States in January was 31 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it the coolest January since 2014.

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The country was split in half, with the eastern portion mainly feeling below-average temperatures and the western portion above-average. The outliers were Idaho, which was below-average, and Florida, which was above-average.

NOAA also said that the January precipitation total was 1.60″, tied with 2009 for 14th driest on record. It was also the driest January since 2014.

Other notable weather and climate events include the late January Nor’easter that brought Boston its greatest one-day snowfall total, an Arctic blast that brought Florida its coldest temperatures in a decade and an ice storm in the Carolinas that caused hazardous travel and power outages.