Before the Arctic storm sent temperatures plunging across the Northeast in early February, the region’s seven states saw their warmest January on record.
January was also among the top 10 warmest for 20 other states, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday.
The widespread warm temperatures across much of the country pushed the national average for the month to 35.2 degrees, 5.1 degrees above average, NOAA reported. That made January the sixth warmest on record nationwide.
At least 168 tornadoes touched down in January, marking only the third time since 1950 when 100 tornadoes occurred during the first month of the year.
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Rain and snow also break January records
Several states also saw one of their wettest Januaries on record.
In Nebraska, it was the third wettest January on record, and the month was among the top-10 wettest for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire and Utah.
In California, nine atmospheric rivers soaked the state from late December until mid-January, resulting in at least 21 deaths and more than 1,400 rescues. The San Francisco Bay experienced its wettest three-week period in 160 years.
The rain significantly reduced drought intensity across much of the west.
Which states saw their warmest January average temperature on record?
- New Hampshire (29.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Vermont (27.3 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Massachusetts (35.3 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Rhode Island (37.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Connecticut (37.1 degrees Fahrenheit)
- New Jersey (41 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Maine (24.3 degrees Fahrenheit)
Temperatures were more than 11 degrees above the long-term average in all seven states, but New Hampshire saw the greatest departure of all — 12.3 degrees above.