January was overall warmer than average with much above average precipitation. Fresno had its third wettest January on record, while Bakersfield had its fifth wettest. Every reporting station in NWS Hanford’s warning and forecast area received at least 200 percent of average precipitation (or more than double) for this month. Some locations, especially in the Sierra Nevada, reached above 400 percent of average in terms of accumulated precipitation. Many Sierra Nevada stations received anywhere from 20 to 36 inches of precipitation for the entire month. Total snowfall for the month exceeded well above 100 inches along the Sierra Nevada crest, or over 180 percent of average, despite some warm systems that produced heavy rainfall at elevations above the 8,000 foot level (and in some cases above 10,000 feet).
