December provided a variety of weather statistics according to Clinton area weather observer Jim Blaess.
He says the month was the 17th coldest December on records back to 1879 for the Clinton area. The overall average temperature was about 19 (19.4) degrees and that’s about 7 (7.1) degrees below the average for the month.
The highest reading was 50 recorded on December 4th.
Blaess says there were eight days with zero or below temperatures and that compares the normal of three. That tied for the 12th most zero days in December since 1893 and the most since 2000 when there were eleven. The coldest day was the 24th with minus 13.
For a comparison, Blaess pointed out that in the last 2 years in the December to March period combined there were four days with zero or below weather.
Precipitation for the month was about one-point-three (1.29) inches and that’s about six-tenth of an inch below the average of about one-point-nine (1.91) inches.
Blaess says the snowfall for December was 14.5 inches and that’s over six inches above the normal of about eight inches.
For a comparison, Blaess pointed out the snow in December 2011 was half an inch and 2012 it was just less than five inches of snow, but in the 2007 through 2010 Decembers the snow totals were more than 2013.
For the snow season from October through today, Blaess says there has been nearly 18 (17.9) inches of snow and the normal through the end of January is about 19 (18.9) inches of snow. Last year from October through the end of January there was 7.6 inches of snow.
For January, the official weather observer says you can expect about one and third inches of precipitation which includes 9 inches of snow. Temperatures are steady with an average high of 30 and average low of 19 with five days of zero or below weather.
With below zero readings predicted in the next few days, Blaess says the record low for January 3rd is 19 below set in 1919. Other below zero readings are predicted early next week and the record low for January 6th is minus 21 set in 1970 and for the 7th it is 20 below zero set in 1910 and tied in 1912
