Environment
Extreme temperatures, in La Crosse and below-normal moisture marked first month of new year
The first month of 2024 was warmer and drier than normal in La Crosse, but also snowier than usual — a month of extremes, according to weather experts.
Numbers from the National Weather Service La Crosse show that the average daily January temperature in the county was 10 or more degrees above normal on 16 days.
The mercury rose above 50 degrees in La Crosse last Wednesday and Thursday.
La Crosse had just 1.16 inches of precipitation this month — slightly drier than the 30-year average of 1.25. But the 12.8 inches of January snow was an inch above normal.
All of the measurable snow fell in a six-day period, beginning Jan. 8.
The 53-degree high on Jan. 31 was the warmest of the month. It beat the previous record high for the day by one degree, which was set in 1989.
The average temperature was above normal for the first 12 days of January, followed by nine consecutive days below normal — when temps dropped below zero each day.
The average has now been above normal since Jan. 22.
