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000
CXUS53 KGRR 011353
CLMBTL

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
853 AM EST TUE JAN 1 2013

...................................

...THE BATTLE CREEK MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 9999 TO 9999

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART

                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM

                                          NORMAL

................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              MM   MM

 LOW               15   12/29/2012

                        12/25/2012

                        12/08/1864

HIGHEST            65                MM

LOWEST             15R               MM

MEAN             34.1


PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM           MM   MM

TOTALS           1.66              1.99   -0.33


DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     951

COOLING TOTAL       0

.................................................



-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

THE MAIN HIGHLIGHT FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2012 ACROSS SOUTHWEST
LOWER MICHIGAN WAS THE WARMTH...AS IT HAS BEEN FOR MOST OF 2012.
DECEMBER 2012 WILL CAP OFF WHAT WILL BE ONE OF THE WARMEST YEARS
EVER FOR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...IF NOT THE WARMEST SINCE
RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT GOING BACK TO THE LATE 1890S. MOST LOCATIONS
ACROSS THE AREA HAVE SEEN ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN DECEMBER
2012. THE ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION HOWEVER IS MAINLY DUE TO
RAIN...AS SNOWFALL IS MUCH BELOW AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH AT MOST
LOCATIONS.

TEMPERATURES IN DECEMBER 2012 RANGED FROM 4 DEGREES TO AS MUCH AS
ALMOST 8 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH. ALL THREE OFFICIAL
CLIMATE SITES WILL BE IN THE TOP TEN FOR WARMEST DECEMBERS. A
MAJORITY OF THE MONTH WAS ABOVE...TO MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE WITH REGARDS
TO TEMPERATURES. JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE
MONTH THROUGH THE 22ND WAS ABOVE AVERAGE. THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF THE
MONTH SAW HIGH TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 50S AND 60S WHICH
CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO THE WARMER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR THE
MONTH. THE 5TH THROUGH THE 22ND DID NOT SEE TEMPERATURES THAT WARM.
TEMPERATURES WERE MAINLY IN THE 40S DURING THAT PERIOD...WHICH IS
STILL ABOVE AVERAGE. TEMPERATURES COOLED OFF FROM THE 23RD THROUGH
THE 31ST; HOWEVER TEMPERATURES ONLY DROPPED TO AROUND AVERAGE TO
SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE. SYSTEMS BRINGING WARMER AIR TO THE
AREA...ALONG WITH A LACK OF SNOW COVER CONTRIBUTED TO THESE WARM
CONDITIONS.

PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2012 RANGED FROM
AROUND AVERAGE DOWN SOUTH...TO AROUND TWO INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE
ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA. WITH THE WARM AIR THAT WAS
PRESENT MOST OF THE MONTH...THERE WERE A FEW SYSTEMS THAT BROUGHT
PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA. THE MOST NOTEWORTHY SYSTEM WAS ONE THAT
CAME THROUGH DURING MOST OF THE HOURS OF THURSDAY DECEMBER 20TH.
RAIN AND SNOW MOVED THROUGH IN THE MORNING HOURS...BEFORE CHANGING
OVER TO ALL RAIN. RAIN CONTINUED INTO THAT EVENING BEFORE CHANGING
TO SOME LIGHT SNOW LATE. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT AS MUCH AS 2 INCHES OF
WATER EQUIVALENT TO THE AREA.

WHILE PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE AREA...SNOWFALL WAS
BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE AREA. SNOWFALL DEFICITS RANGED FROM 5
INCHES BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE AREA...TO
OVER 20 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE ALONG THE LAKESHORE. THIS LACK OF
SNOWFALL WAS THE RESULT OF A LOT OF PRECIPITATION FALLING AS
RAINFALL...AND DUE TO A LACK OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW FOR THE WESTERN
HALF OF THE AREA. THE LACK OF SNOWFALL THIS MONTH HAS THE FIRST
PORTION OF THE 2012-2013 WINTER IN THE TOP TEN LEAST SNOWIEST WINTER
SEASONS THROUGH THE END OF DECEMBER.  THE SYSTEM ON THE 20TH DID
BRING A FEW INCHES OF SNOW TO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA. A
COUPLE OF WEAKER SYSTEMS AFFECTED THE AREA ON THE 26TH...AND THE
28TH THROUGH THE 29TH.

$$