According to local media reports, this January was the gloomiest in the 50 years since meteorologists have been tracking “gloom” across the Midwest.

FOX 9 reports that it was the cloudiest January on record in Minnesota, which didn’t make for great skiing weather. Compounding the cloudiness was the lack of precipitation, too.

After a snowy November and December, it was looking like an historic winter in the Midwest, but the tap turned off.

So it was historically cloudy, relatively un-snowy and temperatures were relatively warm when compared to last year’s ridiculous polar vortex cold snap.

What this means is that a lot of local hills probably shut down snowmaking operations this month and are now at the mercy of mother nature for their remaining snow.

On the brightside, winter seems to last well into April every year, now, so hopefully a snowy February and March can prolong things even further.

Usually, pond skim season starts mid-March. If we can help the snowpack in February with some good dumps, that should hold true. If we have a February like this January, however, we’ll be lucky to go that far.

Do your snow dance, skiers. Our local season depends on it.