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000
CXUS51 KBUF 030213
CLMBUF

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
913 PM EST WED JAN 2 2013

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

...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1871 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              74   12/03/1982
 LOW              -10   12/25/1980
HIGHEST            65   12/04                         60  12/04
LOWEST             21   12/30                         16  12/29
AVG. MAXIMUM     41.8              36.1     5.7     41.7
AVG. MINIMUM     30.8              24.1     6.7     29.2
MEAN             36.3              30.1     6.2     35.5
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      6              10.6    -4.6        1
DAYS MIN <= 32     21              24.3    -3.3       20
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.5    -0.5        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         8.71   1990
 MINIMUM         0.69   1943
TOTALS           3.64              3.89   -0.25     3.62
DAYS >= .01        19                                 18
DAYS >= .10        11                                 10
DAYS >= .50         1                                  2
DAYS >= 1.00        0                                  0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.73   12/09 TO 12/10           12/05 TO 12/06
                                                          12/06 TO 12/06
                                                          12/06 TO 12/06

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           82.7   2001
TOTALS           19.6              27.4    -7.8      3.8
SINCE 7/1        22.0              36.2   -14.2
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      2                 4      -2        0
DAYS >= 1.0         4               6.5    -2.5        1
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        10   12/30                          1  12/10
                        12/28
                        12/27
 24 HR TOTAL     10.1   MM

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     882              1082    -200      906
 SINCE 7/1       2161              2415    -254     1925
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1        875               544     331      776
.......................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.8
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    31/170
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    47/260    DATE  12/31

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   21
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            1
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              5
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         25

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     77

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               1
HEAVY RAIN                3     RAIN                       7
LIGHT RAIN               13     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          2     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                2     SNOW                       8
LIGHT SNOW               14     SLEET                      1
FOG                      21     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      2
HAZE                      5

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

&&

...SNOW RETURNS TO BUFFALO...

THE MAJORITY OF DECEMBER LEFT MUCH OF WESTERN NEW YORK BARON OF
SNOW. FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH IT REMAINED
RATHER UNEVENTFUL AND UNSEASONABLY WARM. TEMPERATURES ONCE AGAIN RAN
WELL ABOVE NORMAL. SNOW RETURNED THE FINAL WEEK OF THE MONTH WITH
TEMPERATURES AVERAGING NEAR NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATE FOR DECEMBER IN BUFFALO WAS 36.3F WHICH IS
6.2F ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 30.1F. THIS RANKS AS THE EIGHTH WARMEST
DECEMBER ON RECORD. FURTHERMORE...THERE WERE ONLY TWO MONTHS WHERE
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW NORMAL THIS YEAR...APRIL AND
NOVEMBER. THIS YEAR ALONE WILL GO DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS HAVING
THE WARMEST AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE OF 52.1F.

SNOW FOR DECEMBER TOTALED 19.6 INCHES...WHICH IS ABOUT 8 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. MOST OF THIS SNOW FELL OVER A 4 DAY PERIOD FROM THE
26TH THROUGH THE 29TH. JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT IT LOOKED LIKE WE
WOULDN`T SEE SNOW IN BUFFALO THE REST OF THIS YEAR...MOTHER NATURE
STARTED TO DELIVER...ALTHOUGH NOT IN USUAL FASHION WITH LAKE EFFECT
SNOW THAT WE ARE SO ACCUSTOMED TOO. ON DECEMBER 21 2012...THE FIRST
NOTABLE SNOW STORM THIS MONTH WOULD HIT THE AREA WITH A FEW INCHES
ACROSS BUFFALO. THIS SNOW CAME AS THE RESULT OF COLDER AIR AND
MOISTURE WRAPPING IN AROUND THE BACK SIDE OF A STRONG LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM. SEVERAL DAYS LATER A SECOND SNOW STORM...ONE THAT WAS COLDER
AND MORE SIGNIFICANT HIT THE AREA. SNOWFALL WITH THIS STORM AVERAGED
AROUND A FOOT ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. AFTER THIS STORM...IT LEFT
BUFFALO IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE IN THE SNOWFALL CATEGORY...BUT STILL
BEHIND NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TOTALED
3.64 INCHES WHICH IS A QUARTER OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED OVER THE MONTH WAS 9.8 MPH...3.1 MPH BELOW
THE AVERAGE OF 12.9 MPH. HOWEVER...BUFFALO STILL MANAGED A PEAK WIND
GUST OF 47 MPH ON THE 31ST AND 41 MPH ON THE 20TH.

LAKE ERIE REMAINED IN THE LOW 40S THROUGH MUCH OF THE MONTH...AND
STILL 42 ON THE 26TH WHICH TIED A RECORD HIGH FOR THAT DATE. THE
ARRIVAL OF COLDER AIR OVER THE LAKE LATE IN THE MONTH ALLOWED THE
LAKE TO SHED A FEW MORE DEGREES DOWN TO 38F BY MONTHS END.

THE BIG STORY WAS THE RETURN OF COLD TEMPERATURES LATE IN THE MONTH
WITH WIDESPREAD SYNOPTIC SNOWFALL.

&&

REYNOLDS

$$