Tuesday's Temperature Warm, But Short of Record

Record high for the day reached almost a century ago

January will be feeling more like June, as temperatures head up to the mid-sixties Tuesday afternoon.

But how weird is this weather for January? 

According to the National Weather Service, warmer highs have been recorded.  Historically, the average high in Washington for January 31 is 44 degrees.  But the record high was set in 1916, when temperatures reached 71 degrees. The record low was set in 1936, when the temperature dropped down to a subfreezing 22 degrees.

On January 26, 1950, the temperature actually hit 79 degrees, the all-time high for the month.

Last year, January 31 was a cold day, with a high temperature of 37 degrees and some light snow.

If you are a snow lover, this winter probably has you frustrated.  The snowiest January on record was in 1922, when 31.5 inches fell on Washington.  That January was the month of the Knickerbocker Storm, a blizzard that dropped 21 inches in a day on January 28.  The snowfall accumulated so quickly, it caved in the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Adams Morgan, a movie house.  The roof collapse killed 98 and injured 133, ranking among the city's worst tragedies.
 

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