(ABC 6 News) — January was a roller coaster of weather, from a cold snap in the middle of the month to record highs at the end.

While the month ended with record-breaking high temperatures, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, said this month was slightly cooler than average.

The average temperature through Jan. 26 was 11.3 degrees, while the typical average is around 14.8 for the month of January.

Even though there was a cold snap in the middle of the month, the high temperatures at the end should bring the entire month of January pretty close to normal temperatures.

Experts from the National Weather Service said milder winters in our area have become more common over the last three decades.

“We’ve had very mild winters, they seem to be getting warmer. um we’re seeing more, we’re seeing shorter durations of cold, very cold temperatures, we’re seeing less and less of that,” Jeff Boyne , a forecaster with NWS, said.

Even though January was a bit colder than average, Boyne said the entire winter has been a bit warmer than normal, which has been inline with trends.

January 2025 was also the driest January on record for Rochester.

Only 0.02 inches of precipitation fell this month, beating the previous record set in January 1961, which saw 0.07 inches of precipitation.

The lack of snow has hurt businesses that rely on it, but it likely will not cause any environmental issues, according to Boyne.

“We only make 10 percent of our precipitation in the winter, so it’s not a huge impact, that way. For those who love to do snow activities, yeah, it’s an impact there,” Boyne said.

Most precipitation for Southeast Minnesota and Norther Iowa falls during the spring and summer.

For many areas in the Midwest, last year’s winter was the warmest on record. This winter is anticipated to be a little bit cooler, but will still be warmer than average, according to forecasters.