By Northern News Now meteorologist Dave Anderson
When I was going to meteorology school thirty years ago, one of my mentors was Craig Sanders who was then chief meteorologist of National Weather Service Duluth. He’s since retired, but still keeps his hand in the weather world. He compiled for us the stats of 2022. The departures from normal for the months break down like this: January -6.5, February -9.5, March -2.9, April -5.7, May +0.6, June +0.9, July -0.2, August 0.0, September +1.4, October +2.1, November +0.7 and December -3.1 degrees. That brings the annual average to 1.85 degrees below normal.
However, January’s number have turned 2023 in the other direction. The first month of the new year was 9.1 degrees warmer than normal when this was written January 29! The long-range forecast for February, though, indicates things will back down. The upcoming month may average 7 degrees colder than normal along with a shortfall of five fewer inches of snow than normal. Since February is one of our snowiest months, we may not notice the difference in the end.
The first to the seventh should be cold and snowy, the 8th to 12th could be dry but bitterly cold, the 13th to 20th may go back to cold and snowy, the 21st to 24th return to bitterly cold and dry, and we finish the month from the 25th to the 28th cold and dry.
The spring forecast is leaning towards a return to normal temperatures in March which may stay that way through April to be followed by a warm and rainy May.
