Weekend snow rounds out damp January in Concord

While completing a “dry January” is a popular New Year’s resolution for many, Mother Nature, apparently, had different plans

A small blanket of heavy, wet snow fell overnight into Monday, delaying schools across the state and closing a few others.

The storm brought the month’s snow total up to more than 22 inches in the Concord area, according to the National Weather Service. That’s higher than the 16-inch “normal” for the month but lower than the more than 27 inches the Capitol City had in January of last year. It also marks a relative return to normalcy after December’s measly .7 inches of new snowfall.

At the same time, much of January did not look all that different from December. Rain, as well as a warmer-than-normal 27-degree average temperature, meant that the increased snow total hasn’t translated into lasting snow cover.

In terms of defying averages, the snow total also pales in comparison to the January total for rain. Bolstered by the mid-month deluge that brought major flooding to the Seacoast, the almost six-and-a-half inch total so far this month in Concord more than doubles the 2.6 inches considered normal.

Coming on the heels of almost seven inches of rain last month, the high amount of rain and snow this January hits a state – and New England region – smothered by precipitation so far this winter. A pause is on the horizon, though, with mostly sunny days projected for the next week.