JOHNSTOWN —
January was the the fourth-warmest January on record for the contiguous United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The average temperature for January was 36.3 degrees, 5.5 degrees above normal, the agency said.
And up until now, February has been mirroring that trend.
In the Johnstown region since the beginning of the year, the average temperature stands at 3.5 degrees above normal, said Michael Pigott, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather in State College.
The average temperature from Jan. 1 until now in the Johnstown region is 29 degrees, he said. The normal average for that time span is 25.5 degrees, he said.
“That’s significant,” he said in a telephone interview. “That means more rain than snow.”
According to records maintained by The Tribune-Democrat, snowfall in downtown Johnstown totaled 13 inches in January compared with 33 inches last January and
44 in 2010.
So far this month, 51/2 inches of snow has fallen on city streets.
There was a concern among residents in October that the region was in store for a harsh winter when 4 to 7 inches of wet snow fell in the area on Oct. 28.
But it warmed up shortly afterward and no more snow accumulated until December, when only a little more than an inch of snow fell over the entire month.
Pigott said that it also has been drier than normal so far this year.
Normal precipitation for the Johnstown region from Jan. 1 through middle of February is 4.13 inches. So far 3.42 inches have fallen with about half that amount coming as snow, he said.
Pigott said that not having a snow cover on the ground is not hurting the region.
There has been enough of steady, gentle rain that is soaking into the ground to replenish the water table just as a melting snow pack would, he said.
“It’s warmer this year mainly because of the jet stream pattern,” he said.
“Essentially, we’ve seen a lot of storms moving from west to east, and not a lot traveling northward or southward. So anything in the Arctic is staying up there, and anything in the U.S. is staying put as well.”
The warm trend may continue through the end of February and into March, but temperatures are not expected to be as high as they were in January, he said.
At Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Anna Weltz, communications director, said with all things considered, it has not been the best ski season weather-wise.
However, the number of skiers and hotel reservations have remained solid, she said.
“We have relied heavily on our mountain crew to make snow this season,” she said.
“Essentially, the crew has been on standby every day and every night so that when the snow-making window presents itself, we can turn on the guns and turn out the white stuff.”
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat e-edition.
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
