January was warmest on record for Seattle area

It wasn't sunbathing weather, but January was the warmest on record for the Seattle area, according to the National Weather Service.

The average temperature was 47 degrees, well above the normal average of 40.9 degrees and the highest average temperature since records began being kept at the Seattle Federal Building in 1891. It was even above the average high temperature for January of 45.8 degrees.

The second-warmest January on record was 2006, when temperatures averaged 46.6 degrees.

The coldest day last month was Jan. 27, when the low was 35. The average high temperature in January was 51.5 degrees and the warmest day was Jan. 19, when the mercury reached 60 degrees.

"We're in an El Niño, and it tends to be warmer and drier than normal," said forecaster Kirby Cook, of the National Weather Service. "This is a classic El Niño signature."

He said the outlook for the rest of the winter is above-normal temperatures.

January might have been warm, but it also was wet. According to records kept at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 6.17 inches of rain fell during the month, an inch above normal. Much of that came in the second week in January, triggering mudslides.

For February, the Weather Service is forecasting not only warm temperatures but a 55 percent chance of below-normal precipitation.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com