000
CXUS53 KGRR 011351
CLMMKG

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

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

...THE MUSKEGON MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1895 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S

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

                                          NORMAL

................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              66   12/03/2012

 LOW              -15   12/31/1976

HIGHEST            66R  12/03        51      15       52  12/15

LOWEST             19   12/28         5      14       22  12/10

                        12/25

AVG. MAXIMUM     42.0              35.1     6.9     41.4

AVG. MINIMUM     29.5              25.3     4.2     31.2

MEAN             35.8              30.2     5.6     36.3

DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0

DAYS MAX <= 32      5              10.9    -5.9        2

DAYS MIN <= 32     19              23.8    -4.8       17

DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.2    -0.2        0


PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         6.99   2008

 MINIMUM         0.47   1930

TOTALS           3.04              2.55    0.49     2.33

DAILY AVG.       0.10              0.08    0.02     0.08

DAYS >= .01        16              15.7     0.3       13

DAYS >= .10         9               7.1     1.9        6

DAYS >= .50         2               1.0     1.0        1

DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.3     0.7        0

GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.36   12/20 TO 12/21           12/14 TO 12/15

                                                          12/23 TO
12/23
                                                          12/17 TO
12/17

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           82.6   1963

 24 HR TOTAL     14.8   12/17/1963 TO 12/17/1963

 SNOW DEPTH        34   12/20/1963

TOTALS            7.4              28.9   -21.5      1.8

 LIQUID EQUIV    0.74              2.90   -2.16       MM

SINCE 7/1         8.2              35.1   -26.9      1.9

 LIQUID 7/1      0.82              3.50   -2.68     0.01

SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                 4      -4        0

DAYS >= TRACE      14              12.9     1.1       12

DAYS >= 1.0         3               8.6    -5.6        0

GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         3   12/30                          1  12/18

 24 HR TOTAL      2.1   MM                       12/23 TO 12/23

                                                          12/17 TO
12/17
                                                          12/17 TO
12/17

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     899              1079    -180      883

 SINCE 7/1       2199              2446    -247     2046

COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0

 SINCE 1/1        925               566     359      752


FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/22/1976

 LATEST       06/22/1992

EARLIEST                        10/14

LATEST                          05/04

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

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.4
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   1/257
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    35/320    DATE  12/21
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    56/330    DATE  12/21

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM

AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.70
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            3
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             12
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         16

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     72

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               1
HEAVY RAIN                1     RAIN                       4
LIGHT RAIN               10     FREEZING RAIN              1
LT FREEZING RAIN          2     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       3
LIGHT SNOW               13     SLEET                      0
FOG                      18     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      2
HAZE                      7


-  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.

$$