Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
702 CXUS51 KBUF 102159 CLMROC CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 328 PM EST MON JAN 01 2024 ................................... ...THE ROCHESTER NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 72 12/03/1982 LOW -16 12/20/1942 HIGHEST 63 12/09 62 12/30 LOWEST 21 12/19 5 12/23 12/24 AVG. MAXIMUM 45.1 38.5 6.6 37.8 AVG. MINIMUM 34.8 25.4 9.4 26.2 MEAN 39.9 32.0 7.9 32.0 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 9.3 -9.3 9 DAYS MIN <= 32 11 24.8 -13.8 25 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 6.17 1878 MINIMUM 0.62 1958 TOTALS 2.91 2.67 0.24 2.14 DAYS >= .01 20 15 DAYS >= .10 9 7 DAYS >= .50 2 1 DAYS >= 1.00 0 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.57 12/27 TO 12/27 0.70 12/23 TO 12/23 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 46.5 2010 TOTALS 5.3 22.3 -17.0 4.8 SINCE 7/1 8.8 30.5 -21.7 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0 DAYS >= 1.0 2 6.4 -4.4 1 DAYS >= 0.1 7 13 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 2 12/07 1 12/26 12/27 12/28 24 HR TOTAL 1.8 1.0 12/23 TO 12/23 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 768 1024 -256 1015 SINCE 7/1 1922 2265 -343 MM COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 573 676 -103 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.0 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 30/240 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 41/280 DATE 12/12 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.87 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 1 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 5 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 25 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 75 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 1 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 4 LIGHT RAIN 19 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 13 SLEET 0 FOG 22 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2 HAZE 2 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && ...NOTABLE WARMTH, LACK OF SNOW THIS DECEMBER... A STRONG EL NIO SIGNAL IN THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC REGION ENHANCED THE STRONG WEST TO EAST FLOW ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES, LOCKING COLD AIR WELL TO OUR NORTH AND MAKING FOR REMARKABLE WARMTH THROUGH THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. JUST TWO DAYS FINISHED WITH BELOW DAILY NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THIS MILD MONTH ALSO FEATURED VERY LITTLE SNOWFALL AND OF WHAT SNOW THAT DID ACCUMULATE WAS MELTED QUICKLY IN THE WARMTH. THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 39.9F THIS MONTH, RANKING 2ND WARMEST ON RECORD. ONLY THE RECENT MILD DECEMBER OF 2015 (ALSO AN EL NIO WINTER) FEATURED A HIGHER MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED FOR THE MONTH WAS A MERE 21F DEGREES, TRAILING JUST 2015 (24F) FOR THE HIGHEST MONTHLY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD FOR ROCHESTER. OVERNIGHT MINIMUMS WERE ESPECIALLY WARM, AVERAGING 9.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THERE WERE 22 DAYS THAT REMAINED AT OR ABOVE FREEZING, TYING WITH THE YEAR 2015 FOR GREATEST ON RECORD FOR DECEMBER. THERE WERE 4 RECORD WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES SET THIS MONTH, WITH THESE OCCURRING ON THE 9TH, 15TH, 17TH AND 28TH. THERE WAS ALSO ONE NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET ON THE 9TH. PRECIPITATION TOTALED ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN INCH ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, WITH 2.91 INCHES MEASURED. THE BULK OF THIS TOTAL FELL AS RAIN. THE LONGEST PERIOD OF PRECIPITATION FREE WEATHER WAS JUST TWO DAYS, THIS BEING ON THE 15-16. THE WETTEST DAY WAS THE 3RD AS WELL AS THE 27TH WITH 0.57 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION RECORDED ON BOTH DATES. THESE WERE BOTH FROM A PROLONGED PERIOD OF RAIN. SNOWFALL WAS LACKING WITH JUST 5.3 INCHES MEASURED. THIS TOTAL WAS THE 13TH LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW MEASURED FOR DECEMBER. THIS SNOW FELL PRIMARILY IN 2 EVENTS, ONE ON THE 6TH-7TH AND ANOTHER ON THE 19TH AND BOTH WERE SYNOPTICALLY DRIVEN SNOW EVENTS. DECEMBER BEGAN WET FOR WESTERN NEW YORK AS SEVERAL STORM SYSTEMS APPROACHED THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH. ANOTHER STORM PASSED BY SOUTH OF NEW YORK STATE ON THE 5TH, AND BROUGHT A LITTLE LIGHT SNOW TO THE ROCHESTER REGION. A WARM FRONT FROM THE WEST BROUGHT SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW TO WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 7TH, BUT MILD AIR BEHIND THE FRONT QUICKLY MELTED WHAT SNOW FELL. IT WAS A SUNNY DAY ON THE 12TH, BUT AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WINDS GUSTED TO AROUND 40 MPH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE COMBINATION OF WIDESPREAD, AND LATER, LAKE EFFECT SNOW BROUGHT ADDITIONAL SNOW TO THE WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 18TH-19TH. CLOSE TO A FOOT OF SNOW FELL OVER THE HILLS EAST OF LAKE ERIE, WHILE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW FELL AROUND ROCHESTER FROM THIS LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT ON THE 18TH-19TH. MILD AIR TEMPERATURES MELTED THE SNOW WELL BEFORE CHRISTMAS DAY FOR THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA. A MILD AIRMASS ON CHRISTMAS DAY BROUGHT THE SIXTH WARMEST CHRISTMAS DAY ON RECORD, WITH 57 RECORDED AT THE AIRPORT. RAIN, DRIZZLE AND FOG REMAINED AROUND THE REGION ON THE 28TH-30TH, WITH A FEW WET SNOWFLAKES EARLY ON THE 30TH. THE FINAL ACCUMULATING SNOW OF THE MONTH FELL ON THE 31ST AS A WEAK CLIPPER LOW PASSED INTO THE REGION, YET NOT ENOUGH TO PUSH ROCHESTER OUT OF THE TOP 10 LEAST SNOWIEST STARTS TO THE WINTER SEASON. THE WATER TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ONTARIO FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 42F AND 46F DEGREES THROUGH THE MONTH. WINDS WERE A BIT BELOW NORMAL, FINISHING ALMOST 2 MILES PER HOUR BELOW NORMAL. THE GREATEST WIND GUST WAS THE 41 MPH READING ON THE 12TH IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON. IN ALL A MILD AND WET MONTH, WITH THE SNOW DROUGHT CONTINUING. && THOMAS $$