Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
026
CXUS51 KBUF 162023
CLMROC
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
839 AM EST WED JAN 01 2025
...................................
...THE ROCHESTER 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 72 12/03/1982
LOW -16 12/20/1942
HIGHEST 63 12/29 63 12/09
LOWEST 0 12/23 21 12/19
AVG. MAXIMUM 39.0 38.5 0.5 45.1
AVG. MINIMUM 26.6 25.4 1.2 34.8
MEAN 32.8 32.0 0.8 39.9
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 8 9.3 -1.3 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 20 24.8 -4.8 11
DAYS MIN <= 0 1 0.2 0.8 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.17 1878
MINIMUM 0.62 1958
TOTALS 2.48 2.67 -0.19 2.91
DAYS >= .01 22 20
DAYS >= .10 9 9
DAYS >= .50 1 2
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.51 12/09 TO 12/09 0.57 12/27 TO 12/27
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 46.5 2010
TOTALS 21.2 22.3 -1.1 5.3
SINCE 7/1 21.2 30.5 -9.3 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 0
DAYS >= 1.0 7 6.4 0.6 2
DAYS >= 0.1 12 7
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 6 12/22 2 12/07
24 HR TOTAL MM MM 1.8
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 989 1024 -35 768
SINCE 7/1 1983 2265 -282 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 820 676 144 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.7
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 33/250
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 48/250 DATE 12/05
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.87
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 0
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 3
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 28
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 73
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 12 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 2 SNOW 6
LIGHT SNOW 18 SLEET 0
FOG 17 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2
HAZE 4
- 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 REMAINING WEST AND SOUTH OF THE ROCHESTER 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 TIED WITH 1936 FOR
WARMEST FINAL 5 DAYS TO A CALENDAR YEAR.
THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 32.8F THIS MONTH, WHICH IS 0.8 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THROUGH THE FIRST NEARLY FOUR WEEKS OF THE MONTH
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED BELOW NORMAL, WITH JUST THE FINAL VERY MILD
DAYS OF THE MONTH TIPPING THE NEEDLE TO A MONTH FEATURING ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH. THE 16 DAYS WITH BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES IS THE GREATEST IN A MONTH SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2023.
THERE WAS ONE DAY WITH RECORD WARMTH, THIS ON SUNDAY THE 29TH WHEN A
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 63F TIED WITH 1984 FOR WARMEST ON RECORD.
PRECIPITATION FINISHED JUST BELOW NORMAL, WITH 2.48 INCHES LESS THAN
TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL. THERE WERE JUST TWO CONSECUTIVE
DAYS FEATURING ZERO PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH, THIS OCCURRING ON THE
13TH TO 14TH. THE ONE DECENT RAIN EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 9TH AND 10TH
WHEN A WARM FRONT BROUGHT A HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN TO THE
ROCHESTER METRO REGION. THE 22 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IS
THREE DAYS MORE THAN THE LONG TERM ROCHESTER MEAN.
SNOW TOTALED JUST BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, WITH THE 21.2 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
ROCHESTER 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. THE SECOND LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT STARTED
AS SYNOPTIC SNOW, WITH A STORM SYSTEM PASSING BY TO OUR SOUTH. THIS
PRODUCED SEVERAL INCHES OF WET SNOW ACROSS THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA
ON DECEMBER 5TH, WITH A TRANSITION TO LAKE EFFECT SNOW LATER THAT
DAY AND THROUGH THE 8TH FOR LOCATIONS AGAIN PRIMARILY WEST AND SOUTH
OF ROCHESTER. 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. NORTHERLY FLOW ON THE 20TH AND 21ST BROUGHT
FLUFFY LAKE EFFECT SNOW TO THE SOUTHERN LAKE ONTARIO SHORELINE, WITH
A HALF TO ONE FOOT OF SNOW ACCUMULATING.
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 OCTOBER OF 2023. THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW
DOMINATED THE HEADLINES THROUGH MID MONTH, THEN WARMTH WAS
HIGHLIGHTED THE FINAL FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH. BEHIND A STRONG COLD
FRONT, WINDS INCREASED TO 44 MPH AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT EARLY IN
THE DAY ON DECEMBER 30TH. A FEW TREES ALSO FELL ACROSS THE NORTHERN
NIAGARA FRONTIER FROM THESE WIND GUSTS.
THE WINDS THIS MONTH WERE A BIT BELOW NORMAL, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 9.7
MPH JUST TWO TENTHS OF A MILE PER HOUR BELOW NORMAL. THE STRONGEST
WIND GUST OCCURRED ON THE 5TH, WITH A 48 MPH WESTERLY GUST MEASURED
IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON.
IN ALL, BECOMING A MORE TYPICAL MONTH WITH SNOW AND LONGER DURATION
COLD AIRMASSES.
&&
THOMAS
$$