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Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
000
CXUS51 KBUF 102157
CLMBUF
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
328 PM EST MON JAN 01 2024
...................................
...THE BUFFALO 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 74 12/03/1982
LOW -10 12/25/1980
HIGHEST 60 12/09 55 12/30
LOWEST 24 12/14 4 12/24
12/19
12/22
AVG. MAXIMUM 43.8 37.2 6.6 37.2
AVG. MINIMUM 34.9 25.6 9.3 26.9
MEAN 39.4 31.4 8.0 32.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 1 10.0 -9.0 10
DAYS MIN <= 32 14 24.0 -10.0 25
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 8.71 1990
MINIMUM 0.69 1943
TOTALS 3.87 3.75 0.12 6.57
DAYS >= .01 20 17
DAYS >= .10 10 11
DAYS >= .50 2 4
DAYS >= 1.00 0 2
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.88 12/27 TO 12/27 1.98 12/23 TO 12/23
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 82.7 2001
TOTALS 5.7 25.3 -19.6 64.7
SINCE 7/1 8.0 34.0 -26.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 6
DAYS >= 1.0 2 6.0 -4.0 6
DAYS >= 0.1 6 10
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 3 12/07 28 12/27
24 HR TOTAL 2.9
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 784 1042 -258 1014
SINCE 7/1 1919 2313 -394 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 627 607 20 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.0
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/240
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 52/240 DATE 12/12
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 1
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 4
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 26
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 80
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 4
LIGHT RAIN 17 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 11 SLEET 0
FOG 20 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 0
- 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 39.4°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 24F DEGREES, PLACING
THE HIGHEST MONTHLY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD FOR BUFFALO. THE
STREAK OF DAYS FEATURING A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE VALUE AT OR ABOVE
20°F REACHED 309 DAYS BY MONTH`S END, WHICH IS A RECORD FOR LENGTH
OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS. OVERNIGHT MINIMUMS WERE ESPECIALLY WARM,
AVERAGING 9.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THERE WERE 21 DAYS THAT REMAINED
AT OR ABOVE FREEZING, TYING WITH 2015 FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF
DAYS ON RECORD. THERE WERE 4 RECORD WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES SET
THIS MONTH, WITH THESE OCCURRING ON THE 9TH, 17TH, 27TH AND 28TH.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED NEAR NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, WITH 3.87 INCHES
MEASURED. THE BULK OF THIS TOTAL FELL AS RAIN. THERE WERE TWO 3-DAY
STRETCHES THAT WERE PRECIPITATION FREE, THESE ON THE 14TH-16TH AND
AGAIN ON THE 20TH-22ND. THE WETTEST DAY WAS THE 27TH WHEN 0.88
INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED DURING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF RAIN.
SNOWFALL WAS LACKING WITH JUST 5.7 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED. THIS
FELL PRIMARILY IN 2 EVENTS, ONE ON THE 6TH-7TH AND ANOTHER ON THE
18TH-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 TO OUR
SOUTH OF NEW YORK STATE ON THE 5TH, AND BROUGHT A LITTLE LIGHT SNOW
TO THE 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 50 MPH THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON HOURS. THE COMBINATION OF WIDESPREAD, AND LATER, LAKE
EFFECT SNOW BROUGHT ADDITIONAL SNOW TO THE BUFFALO METRO AREA ON THE
18TH-19TH. FROM THIS EVENT, CLOSE TO A FOOT OF SNOW FELL OVER THE
HILLS SOUTH OF BUFFALO, WHILE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW FELL AROUND
BUFFALO. MILD AIR TEMPERATURES MELTED THE SNOW WELL BEFORE CHRISTMAS
DAY FOR THE BUFFALO METRO AREA. A MILD AIRMASS ON CHRISTMAS DAY
BROUGHT THE FOURTH 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
BUFFALO OUT OF THE TOP 3 LEAST SNOWIEST STARTS TO THE WINTER SEASON.
THE WATER TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ERIE FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 43F AND 45F
DEGREES THROUGH THE MONTH. THE 43F DEGREES READING ON THE 31ST WAS
THE WARMEST THE LAKE HAS EVER BEEN TO CLOSE OUT THE YEAR. WINDS WERE
WELL BELOW NORMAL, FINISHING MORE THAN 2 MILES PER HOUR BELOW
NORMAL. THE GREATEST WIND GUST WAS THE 52 MPH READING ON THE 12TH IN
THE EARLY AFTERNOON.
IN ALL A MILD AND WET MONTH, WITH THE SNOW DROUGHT CONTINUING.
&&
THOMAS
$$
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- Page last modified: Sep 19th, 2023 19:10 UTC