FAIRBANKS — If things weren’t bad enough on the snow front in Fairbanks this winter, they got worse on Monday.

Because of a clerical error, the National Weather Service subtracted one-tenth of an inch of snow from the season total, shrinking what was already a stunted number.

The two-tenths of an inch of snow recorded on Jan. 21 should actually have been one-tenth of an inch, National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Thoman said.

“Somebody just put the wrong number down on one form,” he said.

With only 1 inch of snow in January instead of 1.1, the snowfall total for the winter now stands at 20.7 inches. It was the second-lowest January snowfall on record at the weather service dating back to 1904.

At this rate, Fairbanks is on pace for one of its lowest snowfalls on record. Through January, this winter’s snowfall ranks as the tenth-lowest on record.

“We’re definitely getting down into the pathetic category now,” Thoman said.

The winter of 1918-19 ranks as the lowest snow year on record at the weather service. Only 12 inches of snow fell that winter.

No. 2 on the list is 1952-53 with 22.9 inches, which means this winter would rank No. 2 in low snow years if less than 2 inches of snow falls the rest of the winter.

Chances of that happening are “very unlikely,” Thoman said, but all it takes is a glimpse into the past to see that it could happen.

In the record low snow year of 1918-19, for example, a total of 10.8 inches fell through Jan. 31. Only 1.2 inches fell the rest of the winter, all in April.

The chance of getting any significant snowfall decreases with each month, he said. The average snowfall for February is 7.1 inches, and in March it’s 5.5 inches. April has an average snowfall of 2.8 inches. Even if Fairbanks receives average snowfalls for the next three months, the total snowfall for the winter will be only about 36 inches, which is approximately half of the normal snowfall for a winter.

Predicting what will happen in the next three months is impossible, however, said Thoman.

Last year, for example, 13 inches of snow fell in February and 15.5 inches fell in March, including storms that dumped 6 inches on the last day of February and 9 inches on March 5.

“So often in March and April, we don’t have hardly any snow,” Thoman said. “It can certainly happen. Last year we had that big, heavy snow in the beginning of March, and we’ve had two very snowy Aprils in the last three years.”

The heavy snow late in the winter pushed last season’s winter snowfall total to 71.5 inches, slightly above the average of 70 inches.

“Barring some goofy thing like that, we’re going to have another well below snow year,” he said.

With the start of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race set for Saturday in Fairbanks, executive race director Marty Steury would like nothing better than a fresh dump of snow to cushion what is expected to be a rough trail for the 23 mushers entered.

“I would love to see more snow,” Steury said. “That would be absolutely beautiful.”

It’s also unlikely, Thoman said. Though a few flurries fell on Monday, there is no significant snow in the forecast for the next week, he said.

Instead, mushers likely will be taking off in bitter cold temperatures befitting the Quest. The temperature for Saturday’s race start on the Chena River likely will be somewhere in the 20 degrees below zero range, Thoman said.

“It will be a cold start for the Quest, for sure,” Thoman said. “We are going to get a shot of cold weather, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to last that long.”

Contact staff writer Tim Mowry at 459-7587.

January weather highlights

Snowfall — Only 1 inch of snow fell during January, which is the second-lowest ever for the month behind only 1966 (0.7 inches). The average monthly snowfall is 10.6 inches. There were only three days of the month with measurable snowfall — Jan. 18 (0.1 inches); Jan. 21 (0.1 inches) and Jan. 22 (0.8 inches).

Temperatures — The average temperature for the month was minus 13.7 degrees. That’s 4 degrees below the normal monthly average of 9.7 below. The low temperature for the month was 41 below on Jan. 12 and the high temperature was 17 above. The average high temperature was 5 below and the average low temperature was 22 below.

Precipitation — January was the driest month of the winter so far, with only three-hundredths of an inch of precipitation, a half inch below normal and the second-lowest on record.

Low snow years

1918-19 — 12.0’’

1952-53 — 22.9’’

2006-07 — 28.0’’

1923-24 — 28.8’’