January thaw
Winter's brief respite
A January thaw is a period of mild weather that often occurs in mid to late January across parts of North America, temporarily interrupting winter's coldest stretch.
The phenomenon is well-documented enough to have earned its name, though meteorologists debate whether it represents a true climatic pattern or selective memory: We're enjoying a January thaw this week—fifty degrees and sunny.
- midwinterSeason's coldest period
- warm spellPeriod of mild weather
- meltChange from solid
- melting snowFrozen precipitation liquefying
- warmthHeat you feel
snow · slush · icicles · drip · mild · reprieve · false alarm · February · winter weather · muddy · mud season · puddles · chinook · warming · ice melt · brief · respite · gray skies
temperature/weather event
January thawcold snap
Brief period of bitter chill
cold spell · freeze · deep freeze · hard freeze · arctic blast