January 2022 produced 15 inches of measurable snow at the Breeze weather station on Hurricane Creek Road. The first white stuff came on January 6 when winter delivered a deposit of 7 inches. Most, but not all, of the January 6 snow was gone when Old Man Winter delivered a second deposit of five inches on January 16 and 17. The Old Man added insult to injury on January 28 with three more inches.

It was the most snow in the Hurricane area since 2016 when the January total also measured 15 inches. Most of the January 2016 snow was delivered by a single storm with 13 inches on January 22 and 23.

The snow of 2016 did not hang around for long, not like in the January now past. It has been too cold for the snow to melt. The average January temperature at the Ranch (Breeze office) was 26.6 degrees. That is 3.3° colder than January of 2021. The average January low in 2021 was 23.1°. It was just 16.7° this year.

The lowest January temperature at the Ranch in 2021 was 13°. There were no single digit readings. This year the mercury dipped below 10° on eight occasions with 1° readings recorded on both January 8 and the 30th.

A remnant of the January 6 deposit was still on the ground when this week’s Breeze was printed Tuesday evening. The predicted high in the 50’s and accompanying rain on Groundhog Day should be enough to make all of this January’s snow be gone forever and ever.

It is premature to celebrate winter’s demise. February will be with us for 25 more days. Last February produced ice storms and power outages. An ice accumulation of 0.1 inches was forecast for Friday, February 4.