National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
CXUS53 KDTX 071958 AAA
CLMDTW

CLIMATE REPORT...CORRECTED RECORDS FOR MONTHLY HIGH AND LOW
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
123 AM EST TUE JAN 1 2013

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

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

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1874 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM
                                          NORMAL
................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              69   12/06/1998
 LOW              -11   12/29/1880
HIGHEST            63   12/04        MM      MM
                        12/03
LOWEST             13   12/28        MM      MM
AVG. MAXIMUM     42.0              36.1     5.9
AVG. MINIMUM     29.8              24.1     5.7
MEAN             35.9              30.1     5.8
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0
DAYS MAX <= 32      5              10.5    -5.5
DAYS MIN <= 32     18              23.9    -5.9
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.7    -0.7

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         5.19   1967
 MINIMUM         0.42   1900
TOTALS           2.64              2.46    0.18
DAILY AVG.       0.09              0.08    0.01
DAYS >= .01        14              13.7     0.3
DAYS >= .10         7               6.2     0.8
DAYS >= .50         1               1.4    -0.4
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.2    -0.2
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.85   12/20 TO 12/21
 STORM TOTAL       MM
 (MM/DD(HH))            MM

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           34.9   1974
                        0
                        0
TOTALS           10.6               9.6     1.0
 LIQUID EQUIV    1.06              1.00    0.06
SINCE 7/1        11.0              11.2    -0.2
 LIQUID 7/1      1.10
DAYS >= TRACE       8               8.5    -0.5
DAYS >= 1.0         3               3.2    -0.2
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         6   12/30
                        12/29
                        12/27
 24 HR TOTAL      5.8   MM
 STORM TOTAL       MM
 (MM/DD(HH))            MM

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     893              1082    -189
 SINCE 7/1       2119              2297    -178
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0
 SINCE 1/1       1156               803     353

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     MM
 LATEST       MM
EARLIEST                        MM
LATEST                          MM
.................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              8.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    32/200    DATE  12/20
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    41/300    DATE  12/21

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.80
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            3
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              5
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         23

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     76

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                1     RAIN                       3
LIGHT RAIN               13     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       2
LIGHT SNOW                8     SLEET                      0
FOG                      20     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      4
HAZE                      6

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

$$
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CLIMATOLOGICAL STATISTICS FOR THE NWS WHITE LAKE - DECEMBER 2012

...TEMPERATURE DATA...               ...PRECIPITATION DATA...
AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 39.2             MONTHLY TOTAL ..........2.74
AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 25.5             GREATEST DAILY TOTAL....0.96
MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 32.4             ON THE 20TH
                                     2012 TOTAL..............29.12

...HEATING DEGREE DAYS...            ...SNOWFALL DATA...
MONTHLY TOTAL..........1003          MONTHLY TOTAL..........13.6
2012-13 SEASON TOTAL...2574          2011-12 SEASON TOTAL...14.8

...COOLING DEGREE DAYS...
MONTHLY TOTAL.........0
2012 TOTAL............568

=====================================================================
...WINTER FINALLY SETTLES IN FOR THE LAST 10 DAYS OF DECEMBER...

A RELATIVELY COOL AUTUMN WAS FOLLOWED BY AN ABRUPT, BUT BRIEF,
RETURN TO MILD WEATHER FOR THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF DECEMBER. HIGH
TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 50S AND 60S THROUGH DECEMBER 4TH WERE
FOLLOWED BY AN ADDITIONAL TWO WEEKS OF HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S
ON MOST DAYS. THE RESULT WAS THAT, DESPITE A RETURN TO MORE SEASONAL
WEATHER DURING THE LAST 10 DAYS OF THE MONTH, THE AVERAGE MONTHLY
TEMPERATURE FOR THE DETROIT AREA WAS 35.9 DEGREES, TYING IT WITH
DECEMBER 1965 FOR THE 9TH WARMEST ON RECORD. IN ADDITION, AFTER
RECEIVING NO SNOW THROUGH BETWEEN THE 1ST AND 19TH DAYS OF THE MONTH,
THE DETROIT AREA MEASURED A TOTAL OF 10.6" BETWEEN THE 21ST AND
30TH, INCLUDING ENOUGH TO YIELD AN INCH OF SNOWCOVER ON CHRISTMAS
MORNING FOLLOWED BY 5.8" ON THE 26TH AS A LARGE GULF LOW LIFTED
ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. DESPITE BEING LOCATED ON THE FAR
NORTHWEST FRINGE OF THIS SYSTEM, MANY LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MICHIGAN STILL SAW ANYWHERE FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION,
WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS JUST DOWNWIND OF LAKE HURON. DETROIT`S
SNOWFALL FOR THE SEASON NOW STANDS AT 11.0", WHICH IS NEARLY
EQUIVALENT TO THE 11.2" SEASONAL NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE DETROIT AREA IN DECEMBER WAS
42.0, +5.9 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL VALUE OF 36.1 AND THE 10TH
WARMEST ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE LOW FOR THE MONTH WAS 29.8, +5.7
DEGREES ABOVE THE 24.1 DEGREE NORMAL AND THE 12TH WARMEST ON RECORD.
THE AVERAGE OVERALL TEMPERATURE WAS 35.9, A DEPARTURE OF +5.8
DEGREES ABOVE THE 30.1 DEGREE NORMAL AND TIED FOR THE 9TH WARMEST ON
RECORD (DECEMBER 1965). IN ADDITION, THE DETROIT AREA`S AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 54.0 FOR THE 2012 CALENDAR YEAR WAS ITS WARMEST ON
RECORD, ECLIPSING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 53.5 DEGREES (1998) BY ONE
HALF OF A DEGREE.