Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
881
CXUS51 KBUF 162021
CLMBUF
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
839 AM EST WED JAN 01 2025
...................................
...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2024...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2024
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 61 12/29 60 12/09
LOWEST 3 12/22 24 12/14
12/19
12/22
AVG. MAXIMUM 38.8 37.2 1.6 43.8
AVG. MINIMUM 27.1 25.6 1.5 34.9
MEAN 33.0 31.4 1.6 39.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 8 10.0 -2.0 1
DAYS MIN <= 32 21 24.0 -3.0 14
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 8.71 1990
MINIMUM 0.69 1943
TOTALS 3.85 3.75 0.10 3.87
DAYS >= .01 21 20
DAYS >= .10 13 10
DAYS >= .50 2 2
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.78 12/29 TO 12/29 0.88 12/27 TO 12/27
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 82.7 2001
TOTALS 22.0 25.3 -3.3 5.7
SINCE 7/1 23.2 34.0 -10.8
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 0
DAYS >= 1.0 6 6.0 0.0 2
DAYS >= 0.1 10 6
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 8 12/06 3 12/07
24 HR TOTAL MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 984 1042 -58 784
SINCE 7/1 1918 2313 -395 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 883 607 276 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/230
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 63/220 DATE 12/30
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 2
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 3
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 26
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 74
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 2 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 11 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 18 SLEET 0
FOG 18 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2
HAZE 5
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
... SNOWY START, RECORD WARMTH END ...
SNOW THAT STARTED LATE IN NOVEMBER CARRIED OVER INTO DECEMBER, WITH
THREE SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS EAST OF LAKE ERIE, BUT
MAINLY SOUTH OF THE BUFFALO AIRPORT. COLD WEATHER PERIODS BECAME A
LITTLE LONGER IN DURATION THIS MONTH, WHEN COMPARED TO PREVIOUS
MONTHS THIS YEAR, AND THIS AIDED IN MONTHLY SNOWFALL TO TOTAL NOT
FAR FROM THE MONTHLY NORMAL. IT WAS A WARM END TO THE MONTH, WITH
THE FINAL 5 DAYS OF THE YEAR THE WARMEST EVER TO CLOSE OUT A
CALENDAR YEAR.
THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 33.0F THIS MONTH, WHICH IS 1.6 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THROUGH THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS OF THE MONTH TEMPERATURES
AVERAGED BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, WITH JUST THE FINAL VERY MILD
DAYS OF THE MONTH TIPPING THE NEEDLE TO A MONTH FEATURING ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH. THE 15 DAYS WITH BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES IS THE GREATEST IN A MONTH SINCE AUGUST OF 2023. THERE
WAS ONE DAY WITH RECORD WARMTH, THIS ON SUNDAY THE 29TH WHEN A
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 61F TIED WITH 1990 FOR WARMEST ON RECORD.
PRECIPITATION FINISHED JUST ABOVE NORMAL, WITH 3.85 INCHES JUST A
TENTH OF AN INCH ABOVE NORMAL. THERE WERE JUST TWO BACK-TO-BACK DAYS
FEATURING ZERO PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH, THESE OCCURRING ON THE 13TH
AND 14TH AND ALSO ON THE 26TH AND 27TH. THERE WERE TWO DECENT RAIN
EVENTS, BOTH OCCURRING WITH A WARM FRONT PASSAGE. THESE EVENTS ON
THE 9TH AND 10TH AS WELL AS THE 29TH AND 30TH BROUGHT A HALF TO ONE
INCH OF RAINFALL TO THE BUFFALO METRO AREA, AND ALSO CAUSED NO
SIGNIFICANT HYDROLOGIC ISSUES. THE 21 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION IS TWO DAYS MORE THAN THE LONG TERM BUFFALO MEAN.
SNOW TOTALED JUST BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, WITH THE 22.0 INCHES A
LITTLE OVER AN INCH BELOW NORMAL. THE BULK OF THIS SNOW FELL IN LAKE
EFFECT SNOW EVENTS OF WHICH THERE WERE THREE THAT GRAZED THE BUFFALO
AIRPORT. THE FIRST LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT WAS A CARRYOVER FROM
NOVEMBER, WITH HEAVY BANDS OF SNOW FALLING ACROSS THE BOSTON HILLS
AND SOUTHERN TIER. A FOOT TO TWO FEET OF SNOW DID MAKE IT AS FAR
NORTH AS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS, WITH A SHARP GRADIENT TO NO SNOW
NEAR THE AIRPORT AND POINTS NORTHWARD. THE SECOND LAKE EFFECT SNOW
EVENT STARTED AS SYNOPTIC SNOW, WITH A STORM SYSTEM PASSING BY TO
OUR SOUTH. THIS PRODUCED A HALF A FOOT OF WET SNOW ACROSS THE
BUFFALO METRO AREA ON DECEMBER 5TH, WITH A TRANSITION TO LAKE EFFECT
SNOW LATER THAT DAY AND THROUGH THE 8TH FOR LOCATIONS AGAIN
PRIMARILY SOUTH OF BUFFALO. IN TOTAL, ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF OF
SNOW FELL, CENTERED UPON THE BOSTON HILLS. THE THIRD LAKE EFFECT
SNOW EVENT OCCURRED DECEMBER 11TH TO THE 13TH. THIS WAS THE FINAL
LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT WITHIN AN ACTIVE PATTERN THAT STARTED JUST
AFTER THANKSGIVING, AND THIS LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT YIELDED THREE
FEET OF SNOW EAST OF LAKE ERIE. ANOTHER SHARP GRADIENT SAW OVER A
FOOT OF SNOW FOR THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CITY OF BUFFALO, WITH
LITTLE TO NO SNOW ACCUMULATING ACROSS NORTHERN CITY OF BUFFALO. LIKE
THE FIRST EVENT, THIS THIRD EVENT HAD DISRUPTIONS IN COMMERCE WITH
THE NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY CLOSED FOR THE HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW.
OVERALL THIS MONTH PUSHED THE NEEDLE BACK TO NEAR NORMAL, WITH
COLDER TEMPERATURE PERIODS REMAINING A LITTLE LONGER, AND LAKE
EFFECT SNOW NEAR NORMAL AS WELL. IN FACT THE 9 CONSECUTIVE DAYS
FEATURING BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FROM NOVEMBER 29TH THROUGH
DECEMBER 7TH WAS THE LONGEST STRETCH OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH BELOW
NORMAL MEAN TEMPERATURE SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2022. THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW
DOMINATED THE HEADLINES THROUGH MID MONTH, THEN WARMTH WAS
HIGHLIGHTED THE FINAL FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH. AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD
FRONT, WINDS WHIPPED TO 63 MPH AT THE BUFFALO AIRPORT EARLY IN THE
DAY ON DECEMBER 30TH. A FEW TREES ALSO FELL ACROSS THE NORTHERN
NIAGARA FRONTIER FROM THESE WIND GUSTS.
THE WATER TEMPERATURE FOR LAKE ERIE MODESTLY DROPPED FROM 46F TO
39F DEGREES THIS MONTH, WITH THE WARM FINAL DAYS PUSHING THE
TEMPERATURE BACK TO 41F. THE WINDS THIS MONTH WERE A BIT BELOW
NORMAL, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 10.3 MPH OVER A MILE-PER-HOUR BELOW
NORMAL. THE STRONGEST WIND GUST OCCURRED ON THE 30TH, WITH A 63 MPH
SOUTHWEST GUST MEASURED.
IN ALL, BECOMING A MORE TYPICAL MONTH WITH SNOW AND LONGER DURATION
COLD AIRMASSES.
&&
THOMAS
$$