Minnesota weather: Cloudiest January since 1960s

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota’s weather this winter has seen some of the warmest daytime high temperatures on record for January throughout the state, but according to the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Climate Observatory, we’ve also seen the cloudiest in more than 50 years. 

January has been the least sunny on record, with less solar radiation observed in St. Paul than any winter since 1963.

According to solar radiation monitored at the St. Paul Climate Observatory, in 1972, the "brightest" January was recorded – with 182.7 langleys (Ly) per year. A langley is the unit of heat transmission used to express the rate of solar radiation (or insolation) received by the earth.

Showing observations recorded dating back to 1963, this year has been the "gloomiest" – according to the data – with 108.4 langleys.

On average, most years have ranged between 140 and 160 langleys during the month of January.

Clouds and fog have dominated the month, despite the Twin Cities seeing its first 50-degree day of the year on Jan. 29– more than a month ahead of average, and just the 13th time in the month of January dating back to 1872.

The warmest January high on record in the Twin Cities is 58 degrees and the record for Jan. 31 in the Twin Cities is 46 degrees.