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John Wheeler: Light snowfall in January put a pause in what had been a snowy winter

Fargo got just 2.6 inches of snow in January while Grand Forks got 3.9 inches.

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FARGO — The winter began with a lot of snowfall. A huge snowstorm buried much of central and western North Dakota in November, then eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota were hit by two major snows in December. In January, however, our weather turned foggy instead of snowy, and the snow stopped piling up. In Fargo, just 2.6 inches of snow was measured in January after 22.8 inches in December and 5.3 in November. Historically, January snowfall in Fargo has ranged from 0.8 inches in 1942 and 1990 to 31.5 in 1989. The three-decade average January snowfall for Fargo is 10.2 inches.

The Grand Forks National Weather Service measured 3.9 inches in January after 24.8 inches in December and 12.7 in November. The historical range in Grand Forks is from 1 inch in 1898 and 1963 to 37.9 in 1996 with an average of 10.7 inches. Monthly snowfall totals vary greatly so the average should not be taken as an expectation.

John Wheeler is Chief Meteorologist for WDAY, a position he has had since May of 1985. Wheeler grew up in the South, in Louisiana and Alabama, and cites his family's move to the Midwest as important to developing his fascination with weather and climate. Wheeler lived in Wisconsin and Iowa as a teenager. He attended Iowa State University and achieved a B.S. degree in Meteorology in 1984. Wheeler worked about a year at WOI-TV in central Iowa before moving to Fargo and WDAY..
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