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| January 2018, Washington, D.C. (Photo Credit: Robin Beal) |
January is the coldest month of the year on average in the nation’s capital. Washingtonians have endured some memorable stretches of frigid January weather in recent decades.
2024: The coldest wave during all of last winter was a six-day period from January 15 – 20. Temperatures remained at or below freezing on four of these days. DC’s average daily high/low temperature during this stretch was 32.3°/22.2°. Although not historically cold, this was DC’s coldest stretch of weather in several years.
2018: The start of the month occurred in the midst of an unusually cold period. From December 28, 2017 – January 7, 2018, temperatures remained at or below freezing on nine days. From January 1 – January 7, temperatures climbed above freezing only once when it was 35° on January 3. The coldest day during this period was January 7 with a high/low of only 23°/8°. DC’s average daily high/low temperatures during this 11-day stretch was 26.6°/15°.
2014: Finishing more than 5° colder than average, this January had seven days with highs that remained at or below freezing. The coldest stretch was a three-day period from January 22 – January 24 when highs remained below freezing, with average daily high/low temperatures of 23.7°/10.7°. The coldest day was January 22 when DC’s high was only 19°. That was the last time the nation’s capital had a high temperature in the teens.
2004: The month closed with a 13-day stretch (January 19 – January 31) when daily highs held at or below freezing on 11 days, including on six consecutive days from January 23 – January 28. Average daily high/low temperatures during this 13-day period were 30.7°/19.2°. The month, as a whole, finished 7° below average.
1996: From January 6 – January 12, highs remained below freezing on six days, with a high of only 34° on January 10. Accumulating snowfall occurred on five of these seven days, including the record-setting “Blizzard of 1996” that ranks among DC’s Top 10 largest winter storms. DC’s average high/low temperatures during this seven-day period were 28.1°/17.6°.
1994: This was the last month in the nation’s capital to finish with an average temperature (including daily high and low temperatures) of less than 30° (28.8°). All but four days were colder than average in January 1994, with the most extreme cold coming mid-month. A seven-day stretch from January 15 – January 21 was particularly frigid. DC’s average daily high/low temperatures during this period were 22.6°/5°. January 19, 1994, was the last time the nation’s capital had a high temperature in the single digits (8°) and a temperature below 0° (-4°).
