The new year brought a continuation of colder temperatures and above average snowfall.

High temperatures averaged 30.2 degrees and low temperatures averaged 14.3 degrees. The mean of 22.3 degrees was 3.2 degrees colder than normal.

The highest temperature was 50 degrees on the first and the lowest temperature was minus six on January 24.

That is the lowest temperature for a two-year period.

Precipitation was only 1.42 inches. That is the lowest January precipitation in my 20 years of recordkeeping. The next lowest amount was 1.95 inches in 2003.

Precipitation has been declining in recent years. Last year there was a deficit of 7.45 inches. In the past three years precipitation is down 14.44 inches. In the past six years precipitation is off by 20.82 inches.

January snowfall totaled 22.2 inches. Winter snowfall so far is 42.9 inches. Normal snowfall by the end of January is 35.7 inches.

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El Nino showed up for 2010 and caused unique weather. It was cold, it was hot, there were big snows and it was dry.

The first half of January started off with 360 hours of continuous below freezing temperatures.

February brought cold and crippling snows. The school system was closed for nearly the whole month.

Bartow had 38.4 inches of snow, my second largest monthly amount in 20 years.

The first week of March had below freezing temperatures. Suddenly on March 7 temperatures zoomed into the 50s and 60s ruining the maple syrup season.

The first week in April looked like summer with four days in the 80s. Two record highs were set at 85 degrees that month.

A 26 degree low on May 10 nipped a lot of fruit for the second straight year.

June, July and August produced the warmest summer on record. March through November all had above average mean temperatures.

Abruptly, December temperatures turned consistently cold with an average high of 25.2 degrees and 13 for an average low. That was my coldest month in 20 years of record keeping.

The year finished one fourth of a degree cooler than normal. Precipitation of 36.69 inches was 7.45 inches below normal.

Snowfall for the year was 76.4 inches and that is about eight inches above average.

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