Text Products for CLM Issued by ROC

Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
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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 NIÑO 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 39.9°F THIS MONTH, RANKING 2ND WARMEST ON
RECORD. ONLY THE RECENT MILD DECEMBER OF 2015 (ALSO AN EL NIÑO
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

$$
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
