CELINA-January’s rain and snow got 2009 off to a head start in precipitation and the month was also colder than normal, National Weather Service (NWS) records show.

A whopping 6.90 inches of precipitation, which includes melted snow, was recorded at the NWS weather station here in January, records show, well above the 30-year average of 4.47 inches. 

There were four days during the month when between one and two inches of rain or snow were reported, with almost three inches of precipitation falling on January 27 and 28 combined.  

Official statistics also showed a month with lower than normal highs and lows, and an average temperature considerably below the 30-year average. 

There was also a wide swing in temperature range in January, with a recorded high of 70 degrees (Jan. 5) and a low of minus one (twice, on the 16th and 17th).

The average daily high in January was 40 degrees, the records showed, with the 30-year average at 45. The average low in January was 19.7, with a 30-year average of 23.2.

The average temperature during the day for the month was 29.8, well below the 30-year average of 34.2.

January is historically the coldest month of the year in Clay County, with December and February almost five degrees warmer.