Moisture Madness in Madison: Wettest January Day, 3rd Wettest Winter Day in 144-Year Climate History

The record-breaking mid-winter heat earlier this week has also been accompanied by record precipitation. In Madison, Wisconsin, the 1.84" of rain on Tuesday was nearly double the previous daily record for January 29 of 0.98" in 1869. It was also the wettest January day in climate history extending back to 1869, exceeding the January 1, 1892 amount of 1.80". Furthermore, it was the 3rd largest rainfall in any winter month (December-February), exceeded only by 2.54" on December 27, 1904 and 2.19" on December 3, 1990.

In all, National Climatic Data Center preliminary reports show that 10 all-time January daily precipitation records were broken on January 29 and 24 more records were broken on January 30. Besides Madison, other Wisconsin records broken in century-plus climate histories included a cooperative station near Lancaster (2.06" vs. previous 1.60") with 120 years of records and Dodgeville (1.48" vs. 1.26") with 116 years. In Missouri, the Sedalia Water Treatment Plant recorded 3.05" to break the old record of 2.60" on January 19, 1907.

January Heat Records Krushed in Kansas, Mashed in Missouri

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. high temperatures for January 28, 2013, from Unisys

January 29 Update: Added Kansas City, St. Joseph, and other Missouri records (see below).

Original post:
A new ice age in North America?

Back in US. What happened to global warming?London, D.C, New York seem like new ice age!Rockies too.
— Rupert Murdoch(@rupertmurdoch) January 26, 2013

The National Weather Service reports that Topeka, Kansas set an all-time high temperature record for January today. Topeka climate records are even older than Rupert Murdoch; they began in 1887.

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 77 DEGREES WAS SET AT BILLARD AIRPORT   
IN TOPEKA KS TODAY AT 331 PM. THIS SETS THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST   
TEMPERATURE BOTH FOR THIS DAY AND FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY. THE   
PREVIOUS RECORD FOR TODAY WAS 67 DEGREES...SET IN 1917. THE PREVIOUS   
RECORD FOR THE MONTH WAS 74 DEGREES...FIRST SET ON JANUARY 2...1939   
AND THEN TIED ON JANUARY 8...2003.  

And at nearby Koch Industries headquarters in Wichita, the heat just missed the all-time January record of 75°:

WICHITA MID-CONTINENT AIRPORT HAD A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 74 DEGREES   
TODAY. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD OF 72 DEGREES   
WHICH WAS SET BACK IN 2011.  

Elsewhere in Kansas and Missouri:

SALINA REACHED A HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY OF 74 DEGREES. THIS BROKE   
THE PREVIOUS HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD WHICH WAS 68 DEGREES SET BACK   
IN 1938.  
  
RUSSELL'S HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY SOARED TO 76 DEGREES. THIS BREAKS   
THE PREVIOUS HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD WHICH WAS 72 DEGREES SET BACK   
IN 1950.  
  
CHANUTE'S HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY CLIMBED TO 75 DEGREES. THIS BREAKS   
THE PREVIOUS HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD WHICH WAS 68 DEGREES SET BACK   
IN 1917.  

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 69 DEGREES WAS SET AT GOODLAND KANSAS   
TODAY.  THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 68 DEGREES SET IN 1968.  

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 74 DEGREES WAS SET AT THE KANSAS CITY   
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THIS AFTERNOON. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF   
65 SET IN 1917 AND FALLS ONE DEGREE SHORT OF TYING THE ALL-TIME   
JANUARY MAX TEMPERATURE OF 75 SET ON JANUARY 24 1950.  

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 72 DEGREES WAS SET AT ST. JOSEPH   
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 63 SET IN 1917.  

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 74 DEGREES WAS SET AT SPRINGFIELD MO   
YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 72 SET IN 2002.  
  
 A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 73 DEGREES WAS SET AT JOPLIN MO   
YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 68 SET IN 2002.  
  
 A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 55 DEGREES WAS SET AT   
SPRINGFIELD MO YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 53 DEGREES   
SET IN 1968 AND 1914.   
  
 A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 59 DEGREES WAS SET AT JOPLIN   
MO YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 58 DEGREES SET IN 1968.   
  
 A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 56 DEGREES WAS SET AT   
VICHY/ROLLA MO YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 51 DEGREES   
SET IN 1968.   
  
 A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 54 DEGREES WAS SET AT WEST   
PLAINS MO YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 51 DEGREES SET IN   
1968.  

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 77 DEGREES WAS SET AT COLUMBIA   
REGIONAL AIRPORT YESTERDAY.  THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 67   
DEGREES SET IN 2002.   
  
A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATUR OF 54 DEGREES WAS SET AT COLUMBIA   
REGIONAL AIRPORT YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 51   
DEGREES SET IN 1914.  
  
THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 77 DEGREES YESTERDAY ALSO TIES THE   
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN COLUMBIA DURING THE MONTH   
OF JANUARY. IT ALSO REACHED 77 DEGREES ON JANUARY 24 1950...AND   
JANUARY 23 1909.