January

January began on a cool note with a mixed bag of precipitation. A snow, rain and ice event hit parts of CNY on January 2 and 3, 2006. It was a very elevation driven event, with hilltops receiving the most frozen precipitation. As much as 8" of snow fell on Laurens. For more details on the January 2-3 ice storm, click here. Parts of the Catskills and Litchfield Hills of Connecticut were slammed in this event. See some pictures, by clicking here.

After this storm, the period of the 4th through the 8th saw changeable weather with some ice, snow and light rain. Since it was the 3rd warmest January on record, temperatures ranging from the upper 30s to mid 50s were experienced through the 14th. Then late in the day on the 14th, a strong storm system ripped a cold front through CNY. Temperatures plunged from highs in the upper 40s into the 30s, 20s and eventually teens, delivering a squall line of snow around dinner time, freezing over roads and thrusting us into the heart of winter. Sunday the 15th saw a midnight high of 17 degrees, and daytime temperatures staying below 10 degrees all day.

The morning of the 16th saw subzero readings for the first time since early December across CNY. But, as had been the case, the cold was gone within a day or two, and the period of the 18th through the 21st saw temperatures again range from the upper 30s to mid 50s. Some light shots of precipitation preceeded our next cool shot which arrived on the 25th and 26th. On the 23rd, one of those light shots brought us 2-4" or so, but areas further east were more heavily impacted. The cold air on the 25th and 26th then arrived, delivering some lake effect snow to the region:

The lake effect band settled across the North Country for a time before dropping south and settling in the hills immediately south of Utica. A variety of amounts in the 6-12" range were reported within the band. Here's a summary. This wintry weather would be short lived though as mild air again shot us to 45-50+ for the last couple days of the month.