Records Broken (UPDATED) and Alligators in the Duwamish

Its official!

JANUARY 2010 WAS THE WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD IN SEATTLE INCLUDING THE RECORDS FROM THE FEDERAL BUILDING THAT GO BACK TO 1891. Yes, 1891.

This is a major new record.

Seattle had a mean temperature in January of 47.0F. The old record was 46.55F in January 2006. Take a look at this table of Seattle-Tacoma Airport observations. The fifth column has the daily deviation from normal. NOT ONE DAY WAS BELOW NORMAL. The warmth had a multiplicity of origins: southwest flow and clouds during the first half of the month, easterly flow with downslope warming in the second half, and a lack of cold air over the region. The latter half of the month was dominated by El Nino-like patterns with much of the precipitation going in south of the NW.




But there's more!

THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN SEATTLE FOR
JANUARY WAS 51.5  DEGREES. THIS IS THE SECOND
WARMEST AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE
MONTH OF JANUARY. THE RECORD AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY
IS  52.0 DEGREES SET IN 1995.
So we were very close.

THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH
OF JANUARY WAS 42.5 DEGREES. THIS IS THE
WARMEST AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE FOR THE
MONTH OF JANUARY BREAKING THE RECORD OF
42.3 DEGREES SET IN 2006. THE NORMAL AVERAGE
LOW TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY
IS 35.9 DEGREES.

And UNBELIEVABLY SEA-TAC had a warmer average
temperature than Tallahassee, Florida.  (thanks to climo man
for noting this).

Next thing we will have to be worrying about alligators in the
Duwamish waterway!

Salmon taste good! I like this place!

BELLINGHAM TIED THE RECORD FOR THE WARMEST JANUARY.

OLYMPIA WAS THE SECOND WARMEST SINCE 1948 (lost by .3F)
QUILLAYUTE WAS NUMBER TWO (Lost by .2F)
HOQUIAM WAS NUMBER TWO.

Eastern Washington was also quite warm, but generally didn't hit
too many records.

Spokane had the 8th warmest January out of 130 years
Moses Lake was the 5th warmest out of 48 years
Wenatchee had the 10th warmest out of 84 years.

Very little snow on the east side...and far less of the typical low clouds.

Today while walking through the UW campus I was surprised to see a
number of the cherry trees in full blossom and many daffodils in flower.
But no alligators ...yet.

Biking along the Sammamish River Trail in the Future?