Chicago
While the beginning of the winter season started off on the quieter side, the new year brought with it a return of snowier conditions to the Chicagoland area. During the month of January, Chicago measured 16.1" of snow (up from the typical 11.3" seen). Helped in part by the above-average snowfall, overall precipitation was also up for the month (3.50" measured compared to a typical 1.99"). Overall average temperatures for the month were a bit warmer than normal (26.3°F, 1.1° above normal).
The month started off rather seasonable with temperatures in the 30s through the first week. Some patchy freezing drizzle and snow showers were around on the 1st with recurring snow showers and flurries around at times through the opening days of the new year. The first organized snow storm of 2024 occurred on the 6th, producing 2.6" of fresh snowfall at O'Hare during the calendar day. Light snow showers persisted at times in the following days, providing additional minor accumulations.
Another more organized storm brought a bit more snow on the 9th, with O'Hare measuring 2.8". The trend in bigger storms continued on the 12th, bringing the highest snowfall totals of the month for the region. O'Hare measured 6.7" total from the storm, with areas to the north and west seeing higher totals, in fact near the Wisconsin border, upwards of 13" was reported. Near the coast of Lake Michigan, there was a sharp dropoff in totals, especially toward downtown Chicago.
Snowfall totals from the January 12th storm. Courtesy of NWS Chicago.
In the days following, temperatures plummetted with the passage of an Arctic front on the 14th, with highs struggling to climb into the single digits. The coldest daytime high of the month occurred on the 15th when temperatures only rose to 2°F. Colder temperatures persisted for several days before trending "warmer" to the 20s by the 17th. During this rebound in temperatures, an overnight snow event from 18th to the 19th produced about an inch or two in the region. Even with temperatures rising from their lowpoint, highs remained in the 20s until the 22nd.
By the final third of the month temperatures returned to the 30s. An overnight wintry mix event on the 23rd brought light snow / icing to the area. In wake of this disturbance, dense fog overspread the wider region and persisted for several days. Temperatures gradually rose as well, with drizzle and plain rain on the 26th with dreary, drizzly conditions continuing for the 27th and 28th.
The month ended on a quieter note, trending milder with temperatures rising to the upper 30s. Both the 27th and 30th saw the warmest temperatures of the month, with daytime highs of 41°F.
Indianapolis
Similar to other parts of the Midwest, Indianapolis trended a bit warmer than normal for the month of January. Overall, the average temperature was 29.0°F (0.5° above normal). Precipitation, too, was above normal, with 4.92" measured (up from the normal 3.12"). While precipitation ended up above average, the month's snowfall fell below what is typical for this point in the season. This January, 4.1" of snow was measured, short of the 8.8" normally seen.
The month started off quiet with temperatures in the 30s through much of the first week. It wouldn't be until the 5th-6th that the first snowfall of the month occurred, with about 1.9" reported on the 6th (the snowiest date of the month). Another disturbance on the 7th and 8th brought additional precipitation, mainly in the form of rain with only some snow mixing in. Then on the 9th, heavy rain pushed through the Indianapolis area with 1.22" of rainfall. Some snow and sleet did occur under the heaviest intensities, though any wintry accumulations were limited.
24hr Snowfall from the Jan 5th-6th storm. Courtesy of NWS Indianapolis.
Much colder air filtered into the area with the passage of an Arctic front on the 13th, bringing a bit snowfall (~0.5") before temperatures plummetted. The coldest daytime high of the month occurred on the 15th when temperatures only rose to 6°F. Highs thereafter struggled to warm much higher than the teens, with another light snow event on the 16th. It would not be until the 17th that temperatures rose above freezing once more.
Another low-end snow event on the 19th brought an additional inch to the city, with a colder spell returning into the final third of the month. This cooler period was brief, with marginal temperatures returning by the 22nd as rain showers turned icy in spots overnight, mainly to the north and west of Indianapolis itself.
Conditions turned foggy across much of the Central U.S. starting on the 23rd with Indianapolis seeing intervals of dense fog through the 25th. Some rain showers were around during this time as temperatures grew milder, peaking at 53°F both the 24th/25th, the warmest of the month.
The month closed with temperatures a bit warm for this time of year (highs settled into the upper 30s to low 40s). Some rain showers returned at times on the 27th and 28th, with another rainy day the 30th. January closed out quieter, a trend that carried into the start of the following month.
Ohio
Temperatures ended up warmer than average for much of the region, with only Cincinnati managing to be on par for the month of January. The breakdown of monthly temperatures were as follows: Columbus: 31.7°F (normal 29.6°); Dayton: 31.0°F (normal 29.4°); Cincinnati: 31.0°F (equal to normal). In the precipitation department, all three cities well exceeded their typical accumulations (Columbus - 4.81"/normal 3.00"; Dayton - 5.43"/normal 3.08"; Cincinnati - 6.39"/normal 3.30"). It was only in regard to snow that all three cities fell short of their typical January totals, and even then the despairity varied from city to city. Columbus measured 5.0" of snow (normal 9.5"), Dayton 7.5" (normal 8.3"), and Cincinnati measured 4.6" (normal 7.7").
The new year started rather average in terms of temperatures with highs in the 30s. A few areas of light snow were around on the 1st before quieter conditions followed in the subsequent days. Highs briefly warmed to the 40s on the 3rd before settling back into the 30s thereafter.
Beyond a light snowfall event on the 4th (only impacting Columbus and Dayton), quieter conditions continued for the remainder of the first week before the next system arrived on the 6th and 7th. This mainly impacted Dayton and Columbus, bringing about 1 - 1.5 inches of snow, whereas Cincinnati was largely missed with just some scattered coatings.
A brief milder pattern developed for the 9th as highs reached near 50 in all three cities. Rain also pushed through Ohio during this time (briefly mixing with some wet snow for the northern tier), with all three cities racking up their rainiest day of the month (Columbus - 1.44"; Dayton - 1.63"; Cincinnati - 1.63"). Temperatures fell back into the 30s thereafter, only briefly rebounding to the upper 40s by the 11th and 12th.
Following a light snowfall event the night of the 12th and another the night of the 13th into the 14th (producing a few tenths of an inch to Cincinnati and up to an inch near Dayton), colder air associated with the passage of an Arctic front filtered in. Temperatures tumbled with daytime highs strugging to warm out of the teens by the 15th (coldest highs all occurred on the 15th: Columbus: 16°F; Dayton: 12°F; Cincinnati: 15°F). Colder air persisted for a few days, with highs gradually returning to the 20s, not warming above freezing until the 22nd.
In the meantime, an event on the 19th produced the highest snowfall totals of the month for all three cities: Columbus - 2.2"; Dayton - 2.3"; Cincinnati - 3.8". Quieter weather then returned as temperatures returned closer to normal. Marginal temperatures by the final third of the month brought with it rain events rather than snow, with one such system on the 23rd producing 0.80" of rain in Columbus.
Snow-covered streets near Dayton during the January 19th snow event.
Conditions remainded rather rainy in the days that followed, warming into the 50s. Dense fog developed at times from the 23rd to the 26th with a good soaking rain on the 24th. The warmest day of the month, the 26th, saw the cities of Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati warm to 61°, 58°, and 59°, respectively.
Unsettled conditions lingered to close out the final days of January with rain on the 27th ending with minor snowfall. Highs settled into the 40s and later the 30s toward month's end. A rain / snow mix on the 30th produced only coating of snowfall. Following a long period of cloudy days, the sun returned with quieter weather to welcome in February.
