000
CXUS53 KGRR 011350
CLMGRR

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

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

...THE GRAND RAPIDS MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1892 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S

                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)

                                          NORMAL

................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              69   12/05/2001

 LOW              -18   12/19/1983

HIGHEST            65   12/04        53      12       57  12/15

                        12/03

LOWEST             17   12/25         1      16       17  12/10

AVG. MAXIMUM     41.7              34.8     6.9     40.6

AVG. MINIMUM     28.5              23.5     5.0     29.3

MEAN             35.1              29.2     5.9     35.0

DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0

DAYS MAX <= 32      8              11.7    -3.7        3

DAYS MIN <= 32     22              25.0    -3.0       22

DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.7    -0.7        0


PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         6.95   1893

 MINIMUM         0.31   1913

TOTALS           2.85              2.50    0.35     2.59

DAILY AVG.       0.09              0.08    0.01     0.08

DAYS >= .01        17              16.0     1.0       15

DAYS >= .10         8               6.9     1.1        6

DAYS >= .50         1               1.1    -0.1        1

DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.3     0.7        0

GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.06   12/20 TO 12/20           12/14 TO 12/15

                                                          12/27 TO
12/27
                                                          12/27 TO
12/27

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           59.2   2000

 24 HR TOTAL     15.1   12/10/1970 TO 12/11/1970

 SNOW DEPTH        22   12/27/1951

                        12/26/1951

                        12/25/1951

TOTALS            7.2              21.9   -14.7      4.5

 LIQUID EQUIV    0.72              2.20   -1.48       MM

SINCE 7/1         7.5              29.2   -21.7      5.2

 LIQUID 7/1      0.75              2.90   -2.15     0.07

SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                 3      -3        0

DAYS >= TRACE      14              13.3     0.7       12

DAYS >= 1.0         2               6.6    -4.6        2

GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         3   12/27                          1  12/28

                        12/26                             12/24

                                                          12/09

 24 HR TOTAL      3.1   MM                       12/27 TO 12/27

                                                          12/27 TO
12/27
                                                          12/27 TO
12/27

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     919              1111    -192      922

 SINCE 7/1       2228              2449    -221     2095

COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0

 SINCE 1/1       1039               699     340      894


FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/03/1946

 LATEST       06/04/1945

EARLIEST                        10/13

LATEST                          05/02

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

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.0
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   1/234
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    35/330    DATE  12/21
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    49/340    DATE  12/21

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   18
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.80
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            1
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              9
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         21

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     76

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               2
HEAVY RAIN                1     RAIN                       4
LIGHT RAIN               14     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          2     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       2
LIGHT SNOW               14     SLEET                      1
FOG                      23     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      3
HAZE                     12


-  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.

$$