NOUS42 KILM 020158
PNSILM

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
858 PM EST MON FEB 1 2010


...ABNORMALLY COLD JANUARY COMES TO AN END...

JANUARY 2010 WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE COLDEST ON RECORD FOR 
SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. ALTHOUGH THE 
MIDDLE OF THE MONTH SAW ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...JANUARY WAS 
PRIMARILY CHARACTERIZED BY NEAR RECORD COLD AT THE LOCAL CLIMATE 
STATIONS. WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURNED TO THE AREA DURING 
THE LAST FEW DAYS OF JANUARY...REMINDING US ALL OF THE RECORD COLD 
THAT GRIPPED MUCH OF THE EAST COAST FOR THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE 
YEAR. WHAT WILL BE MOST REMEMBERED ABOUT THIS JANUARY IS NOT THE 
RECORD COLD DAILY TEMPERATURES...SINCE ONLY 3 DAILY RECORDS WERE SET 
DURING THE ENTIRE MONTH...BUT THE DURATION OF THE COLD THAT AFFECTED 
THE CAROLINAS DURING THE MONTH.

FOR WILMINGTON:

     JANUARY AVERAGED 41.3 DEGREES FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH. THIS IS 4.8 
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AND THE 13TH COLDEST JANUARY ON RECORD...LAST 
EXCEEDED IN 2003. THE PERIOD OF RECORD EXTENDS BACK TO 1874.
     THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 31.0 DEGREES. THIS IS THE 9TH 
COLDEST AVERAGE LOW FOR JANUARY...AND ONLY THE 14TH TIME ON RECORD 
THAT JANUARY HAS HAD AN AVERAGE LOW BELOW FREEZING. THE NORMAL 
JANUARY LOW IS 35.8 DEGREES.

DURING JANUARY WILMINGTON SAW 2 NEAR-RECORD COLD STREAKS... 
     FROM JANUARY 2ND THROUGH JANUARY 11TH (10 DAYS) THE LOW 
TEMPERATURE WAS 28 DEGREES OR BELOW. THIS FELL ONE DAY SHORT OF THE 
RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH LOW TEMPERATURES OF 28 OR LESS LAST 
SET IN 1960.
      IN ADDITION...FROM JANUARY 2ND THROUGH JANUARY 16TH (15 DAYS) 
THE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW FREEZING. THIS IS TIED FOR THE 6TH 
LONGEST STRETCH OF DAYS WITH LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING. THE 
RECORD IS 21 DAYS SET IN 2001.

FOR FLORENCE:

     JANUARY AVERAGED 40.6 DEGREES FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH. THIS IS 4.7 
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AND THE 11TH COLDEST JANUARY ON RECORD...LAST 
EXCEEDED IN 1988. THE PERIOD OF RECORD DATES BACK TO 1948.
     THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 29.6 DEGREES. THIS IS THE 8TH 
COLDEST AVERAGE LOW FOR JANUARY...AND ONLY THE 9TH TIME THAT JANUARY 
HAS AVERAGED A LOW TEMPERATURE OF LESS THAN 30 DEGREES. THE NORMAL 
JANUARY LOW TEMPERATURE IS 35.2 DEGREES.

DURING JANUARY FLORENCE ALSO SAW 2 NEAR-RECORD COLD STREAKS...AND 
SET 2 RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES...
     FROM THE 2ND THROUGH THE 11TH (10 DAYS) THE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 
26 DEGREES OR LESS. THIS WAS ONE DAY SHORT OF THE RECORD OF 11 
STRAIGHT DAYS WITH LOWS OF 26 OR LESS SET IN 1960.
     FROM THE 2ND THROUGH THE 16TH (15 DAYS) THE LOW WAS BELOW 32 
DEGREES. THIS IS RANKED AS THE 8TH LONGEST STRETCH ON RECORD. THE 
RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH LOWS BELOW FREEZING IS 18 DAYS LAST 
SET IN 1978.
     FLORENCE ALSO SAW RECORD LOW DAILY MINIMUMS SET ON THE 3RD   
(14 DEGREES) AND THE 4TH (18 DEGREES) OF THE MONTH.

FOR NORTH MYRTLE BEACH:

     JANUARY AVERAGED 41.6 DEGREES WHICH IS 5.2 DEGREES BELOW 
NORMAL. THIS IS THE 2ND COLDEST JANUARY ON RECORD...ALTHOUGH ASOS 
RECORDS ONLY GO BACK TO 2000 FOR CRE.
     NORTH MYRTLE BEACH ALSO SET A DAILY RECORD MINIMUM ON JANUARY 
7TH OF 21 DEGREES. THE TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR CRE IS DISCONTINUOUS 
BACK TO 1949.

$$

JDW