MONROE - Area residents are used to layering themselves with warm clothing and winter gear, no strangers to cold weather. But for those of you wondering if the past few months have been colder than usual, it's not in your head: Since December 2013, Monroe has set record lows for 18 days, 10 of which occurred in January alone.
Less than halfway through February, Monroe has had 10 days this month when the minimum temperature has reached or fallen below zero. Compare that to February's average of 4.5 days below zero. Averages are calculated from data from the National Weather Service from 1981 to 2010.
January experienced 19 days below or equal to zero, almost three times as many as its average. That puts Monroe at 27 days where the temperature has dropped to zero or below in less than two months, while the annual average from the previous three decades is only 17.4.
December 2013's weather wasn't quite as dramatic as 2014's has been, but the average daily temperature still fell below the historical average for 19 days, and three days set new record lows.
Almost every day in January of this year had average daily temperatures below the historical averages. As for this month, every day has been colder than the historical average.
We're on track to match the conditions set last month, unless the coming "heat wave" offsets that trend. Today's temperature is expected to hit 32 degrees, while high temperatures Friday and Saturday are predicted to be in the high teens.
Less than halfway through February, Monroe has had 10 days this month when the minimum temperature has reached or fallen below zero. Compare that to February's average of 4.5 days below zero. Averages are calculated from data from the National Weather Service from 1981 to 2010.
January experienced 19 days below or equal to zero, almost three times as many as its average. That puts Monroe at 27 days where the temperature has dropped to zero or below in less than two months, while the annual average from the previous three decades is only 17.4.
December 2013's weather wasn't quite as dramatic as 2014's has been, but the average daily temperature still fell below the historical average for 19 days, and three days set new record lows.
Almost every day in January of this year had average daily temperatures below the historical averages. As for this month, every day has been colder than the historical average.
We're on track to match the conditions set last month, unless the coming "heat wave" offsets that trend. Today's temperature is expected to hit 32 degrees, while high temperatures Friday and Saturday are predicted to be in the high teens.