December 2012 Weather Summary

 
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
939 AM EST TUE JAN 1 2013

...DECEMBER 2012 WEATHER SUMMARY...

WITH PLENTY OF SNOWFALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...DECEMBER 2012 CAME
TO AN END FEELING MUCH MORE LIKE WINTER ACROSS THE CENTRAL OHIO
VALLEY THAN DECEMBER 2011. THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS RATHER
MILD WITH MANY AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURES FINISHING WELL ABOVE
NORMAL. IN FACT...CINCINNATI RECORDED A HIGH OF 71 DEGREES ON DEC 3
AND REACHED THE 60S ON FOUR OTHER OCCASIONS. COLUMBUS CLIMBED INTO
THE 60S FOUR TIMES DURING THE MONTH AND DAYTON THREE TIMES. SEVERAL
SYSTEMS BROUGHT AMPLE RAINFALL TO THE AREA THROUGH THE FIRST FEW
WEEKS OF DECEMBER...AND THUNDER WAS HEARD ON AT LEAST A COUPLE
OCCASIONS.

DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH...TEMPERATURES RETURNED CLOSER TO
NORMAL AND A FEW WINTER STORMS MOVED THROUGH THE AREA. ONE SYSTEM
BROUGHT RAIN AND STRONG WINDS TO THE OHIO VALLEY AS IT MOVED THROUGH
ON THE 20TH...BUT COLDER TEMPERATURES ALLOWED FOR AROUND 1 TO 2
INCHES OF SNOWFALL NORTHWEST OF INTERSTATE 71 AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTED
ON THE 21ST. A STRONG WINTER STORM MOVED THROUGH ON THE 26TH...
DUMPING AROUND 4 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW MAINLY NORTHWEST OF INTERSTATE
71. ANOTHER WINTER STORM MOVED THROUGH ON THE 29TH WITH 2 TO 6 INCHES
OF SNOW...HEAVIEST ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 71.

ALL IN ALL...AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES FINISHED WELL ABOVE NORMAL.
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL TOTALS WERE ALSO ABOVE NORMAL.

                 DECEMBER AVG TEMP / DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
CINCINNATI             40.2        /         +6.1
COLUMBUS               39.4        /         +5.9
DAYTON                 38.4        /         +7.2

                   DECEMBER PRECIP / DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
CINCINNATI             5.75        /        +2.38
COLUMBUS               5.70        /        +2.73
DAYTON                 3.77        /        +0.65

                 DECEMBER SNOWFALL / DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
CINCINNATI              7.6        /         +2.8
COLUMBUS               14.9        /         +9.9
DAYTON                 10.9        /         +6.4

WHILE NO OVERALL MONTHLY TEMPERATURE...PRECIPITATION...OR SNOWFALL
RECORDS WERE BROKEN AT ANY OF OUR CLIMATE STATIONS...SOME STATIONS
DID MANAGE TO FINISH IN THEIR TOP 10 FOR THESE PARAMETERS.

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                      TOP 10 WARMEST DECEMBERS

    CINCINNATI                COLUMBUS                DAYTON
 1. 48.2 / 1889           1. 44.6 / 1889          1. 42.2 / 1923
 2. 47.6 / 1877           2. 42.0 / 1923          2. 41.4 / 1931
 3. 44.4 / 1881           3. 41.1 / 1931          3. 41.3 / 1918
 4. 43.5 / 1923           4. 40.8 / 1956          4. 39.6 / 1982
    43.5 / 1875           5. 40.5 / 1881          5. 39.3 / 1956
 6. 42.9 / 1982           6. 40.4 / 1982          6. 38.7 / 1971
 7. 42.5 / 1931              40.4 / 1918          7. 38.4 / 2012*
 8. 42.4 / 1984           8. 40.1 / 2006          8. 38.3 / 1941
 9. 42.0 / 1956           9. 40.0 / 1891          9. 38.1 / 1984
    42.0 / 1891          10. 39.5 / 1984         10. 37.9 / 2006
       ...                      ...
17. 40.2 / 2012*         11. 39.4 / 2012*

DECEMBER 2012 WAS THE 7TH WARMEST ON RECORD AT DAYTON (DATA TO 1893)
...THE 11TH WARMEST ON RECORD AT COLUMBUS (DATA TO 1878)...AND THE
17TH WARMEST AT CINCINNATI (DATA TO 1872).

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                      TOP 10 WETTEST DECEMBERS

    CINCINNATI                COLUMBUS                 DAYTON
 1. 7.90 / 1990           1. 6.98 / 1990          1. 10.04 / 1990
 2. 7.11 / 1879           2. 6.12 / 1923          2.  6.84 / 1923
 3. 6.94 / 1923           3. 5.70 / 2012*         3.  5.34 / 2011
 4. 6.52 / 2011           4. 5.44 / 2011          4.  5.12 / 2008
 5. 6.47 / 1873           5. 5.28 / 1881          5.  5.07 / 1951
 6. 6.46 / 1978           6. 5.07 / 1951          6.  4.87 / 1932
 7. 6.17 / 1951           7. 5.01 / 1978          7.  4.47 / 1977
 8. 5.98 / 1957           8. 4.84 / 2008          8.  4.45 / 2007
 9. 5.76 / 2007           9. 4.68 / 1957              4.45 / 1978
10. 5.75 / 2012*         10. 4.61 / 1971         10.  4.29 / 1931
                                                        ...
                                                 18.  3.77 / 2012*

DECEMBER 2012 WAS THE 3RD WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT COLUMBUS
(DATA TO 1878)...THE 10TH WETTEST ON RECORD AT CINCINNATI (DATA TO
1871)...AND THE 18TH WETTEST AT DAYTON (DATA TO 1893).

*********************************************************************

                     TOP 10 SNOWIEST DECEMBERS

    CINCINNATI                COLUMBUS                 DAYTON
 1. 16.6 / 2010           1. 17.3 / 1960          1. 17.0 / 2004
 2. 16.3 / 1917           2. 14.9 / 2012*         2. 15.6 / 1960
 3. 15.5 / 1942           3. 14.5 / 1917          3. 14.7 / 1981
 4. 12.5 / 1989           4. 13.7 / 1951          4. 14.1 / 1951
    12.5 / 1960           5. 13.5 / 1916          5. 13.7 / 1917
 6. 10.9 / 1981              13.5 / 1890          6. 13.3 / 1950
 7. 10.6 / 1943           7. 12.7 / 2000          7. 12.9 / 2005
 8. 10.4 / 2004           8. 11.8 / 1995          8. 12.2 / 1898
 9.  9.7 / 1935           9. 11.0 / 1909          9. 11.7 / 1935
10.  8.6 / 1990          10. 10.7 / 1929         10. 11.6 / 1973
     8.6 / 1951              10.7 / 1902                ...
       ...                                       11. 10.9 / 2012*
19.  7.6 / 2012*
     7.6 / 1963

DECEMBER 2012 WAS THE 2ND SNOWIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT COLUMBUS
(DATA TO 1884)...THE 11TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD AT DAYTON (DATA TO
1893)...AND TIED AS THE 19TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD AT CINCINNATI (DATA
TO 1893).

$$

KURZ