News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Werth Development LLC owner Stephen Werth shovels snow from the sidewalk in downtown Alpena on Monday. In January, Alpena only received 13.3 inches of snow, which was six inches under the long-term average.

ALPENA — The weather in Alpena last month was about one degree cooler than normal, and once again, the area escaped any significant snowfall.

In its preliminary monthly weather report, the National Weather Service said Alpena received 13.3 inches of snow in January, which was well below the long-term average of 19.3 inches.

In January of 2024, Alpena received 26.4 inches of snow.

The average temperature for January was 19 degrees, which barely dipped below the long-term average of 20 degrees.

The snow Alpena did receive was in small increments over the entire month, with the largest accumulation coming on Jan. 12 when 1.9 inches of snow fell to the ground. Most days, there were at least some flurries, and at the end of the month, there were about five inches of snow on the ground.

The snow accumulation has since increased, as there was snow in Alpena over the weekend.

Since October, the largest snowfall recorded for one day in Alpena was four inches, which fell on Dec. 20. The area has mostly escaped large snowstorms, but has seen some lingering lake-effect snow showers on and off all winter.

Faith Fredrickson, a meteorologist for the Weather Service, said the storm track was pushed south from cold Canadian air and forced storms into the southern states. She said Northeast Michigan has cold to frigid temperatures, which at times ford up the lake-effect engine. Fredrickson said current models show there may be some larger snow systems brewing, but it is too early to tell if they will develop into more snow in the area.

“We just haven’t seen any of the Alberta Clippers or big systems that we are famous for,” she said. “However, things are going to cool down again over the next week or so, and that will put us back in a lake effect pattern.”

If this month mirrors last February, there may not be much snow. In February of 2024, Alpena received only 7.2 inches of snow. March and April combined in 2024 only saw a touch more than six inches of snow.

Fredrickson said people can expect temperatures in the teens to mid-20s, with a day or two when it could be 30 degrees or warmer. She said Alpena is not expected to have a return to the sub-zero temperatures like it had last month.

“Even the cold air we do get won’t be as cold as the past month,” Fredrickson said.

Temperatures so far this winter have been relatively mild, compared to the long-term averages. The coldest spell of the winter was in January when Alpena had a string of four out of five days in the middle of the month, where temperatures dropped to below zero. The coldest day was on Jan. 20 when the mercury fell to 4 degrees. The warmest day was on Jan. 27, when it was 40 degrees in Alpena.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.