The average temperature was 47 degrees, the warmest weather noted since they began tracking temperature at the Seattle Federal Building in 1891. Above, the morning sky is painted red as the sun rises over the Cascades in Lake Forest Park today. MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMESBy Susan Gilmore, Seattle Times staff reporter

It wasn’t sunbathing weather, but January was the warmest on record for the Seattle area, according to the National Weather Service. The average temperature was 47 degrees, above the average of 45.8 degrees and the highest temperature since they began being recorded at the Seattle Federal Building in 1891. The normal average temperature for the month is 40.9 degrees. The second-warmest January on record was 2006, when temperatures averaged 46.6 degrees. … “We’re in an El Niño, and it tends to be warmer and drier than normal,” said forecaster Kirby Cook, of the National Weather Service. “This is a classic El Niño signature.” He said the outlook for the rest of the winter is above-normal temperatures. … For February, the Weather Service is forecasting not only warm temperatures but a 55 percent chance of below-normal precipitation. Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com

January was warmest on record for Seattle area