Warm Climate This January: It looks like this January may end up among the 5 warmest in state history based on statewide climate data so far. Through two-thirds of the month temperatures are running from 8 to 17 degrees F above normal. The last ten days of the month will not all be warmer than normal, but a mixture of above and below normal values. This will mean that the average temperature for January in Minnesota may not be as cold as December was. Nevertheless, we can anticipate a period of three consecutive months with monthly mean temperatures above normal. The persistence of warmer than normal temperatures has been so strong that the November through January period may end up among the 5 warmest historically as well. It is somewhat unusual to have this persistent warmth during a La Nina period (cold surface waters) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. This is somewhat like what happened with Minnesota November through January temperatures being warmer than normal during the La