Des Moines, IA (KICD)– The start of 2024 had its ups and downs when it came to temperature, but in the end it was the warmer side that took the victory when compared to normal.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan says most areas of the state followed the trend of the being slightly above average in January despite the dangerous cold we experienced around the middle of the month.

Precipitation is where Northwest Iowa differs from the rest of the state, however.

Looking ahead it looks like the warmer temperatures have plans to stick around the Upper Midwest as we approach the middle of February and while we will likely not consistently see reading in the 50s, we will still be well above what is considered to be normal for this time of year.