Tropical Depression Nine Forms; Heavy Rainfall in the Southwest and Southeast this Weekend

Tropical Depression Nine has formed and will continue to slowly move to the north-northwest in the coming days. As the storm passes close to the east coast of Florida, tropical storm conditions are possible Sunday through Monday. Tropical Storm Watches have been issued. Significant uncertainty remains in the track and intensity, but chances for impacts to the Southeast are increasing. Read More >

Summary infographic of the warm stretch

What is Noteworthy About This? While 50s and even 60s certainly do happen in December, this prolonged duration was particularly noteworthy because it was accompanied with a great deal of sunshine and occurred late in the month (more rare) and overlapped the Christmas holiday.

Why So Warm? The weather pattern for several weeks had generally been a mild one. In fact December 2019 has only had five days with below normal temperatures in Chicago. The pattern has also been notably drier than much of the autumn was. The drier pattern has resulted in well below normal snowfall for December, and without snow on the ground locking in colder air, any cold surge has been temporary. Finally, southerly winds were dominant for days, resulting in inching up temperatures, and the sunny pattern (helped by lack of snow cover in the region), further resulted in warming.

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Tropical Depression Nine Forms; Heavy Rainfall in the Southwest and Southeast this Weekend

Late December 2019 Warmth