Recap of December 2024: Biting Cold Prevails In a Battle Between Cold Snaps & Mild Spells
December 2024 started out cold and dry and ended mild and wet. Overall, the month was 0.9 degrees colder than average, it received an average amount of precipitation, and snowfall was below average. The month's coldest reading was 13° - which was also the coldest reading of the entire year. Its mildest reading was 60°.
On average, December is close to six degrees milder than January, but this year it appeared it might be the colder of the two months. However, this possibility went out the window when the last four days of the month had temperatures 16 degrees milder than average. As a result, Dec. 2024 ended up being 1.2 degrees milder than January (38.2° v 37.0°).
The month experienced three cold periods and three mild ones. The cold periods covered 17 days and were eight degrees below average, while the mild periods covered 11 days and were eleven degrees above average.
The month had an equitable distribution of days that were either 10 or more degrees below average or 10+ above average, with there being seven of each. (It's unusual for a month to have so many days that are well below and well above average.)
This was the fifth December in a row that ended with temperatures that were well above average:
Dec. 28-31, 2024 - 16 degrees above average
Dec. 24-31, 2023 - 11 degrees above average
Dec. 29-31, 2022 - 15 degrees above average
Dec. 28-31, 2021 - 10 degrees above average
Dec. 28-31, 2020 - 6 degrees above average
Although December's 4.53" of precipitation was an average amount, there were 17 days with measurable precipitation, which was the most in any month since July 2021 (which had 18). Among these 17 days were seven in a row (12/15-12/21), making this the longest streak since one of eight days in May 2019. The month's precipitation was concentrated among a handful of days, with a little more than half falling on three days: 0.85" on 12/11; 0.91" on 12/16; and 0.56" on 12/28.
Although December's precipitation was an average amount, it was nearly as much as what fell in the three preceding months (4.94" in Sept-Oct-Nov, versus 4.53" in December).
There were two days with measurable snowfall, totaling 2.8": 1.8" on 12/21, 1.0" on 12/24. (The average amount in December is 4.9".) Despite it being a below average amount, this was the snowiest December since 2020 (when 10.5" fell from one storm). Because the two snowfalls were just a few days apart, enough snow remained on the ground to provide Central Park with its first "white Christmas" since 2009.
As mentioned earlier, the month’s coldest temperature was 13° (on consecutive days), which was also the coldest reading of the entire year (besting a reading of 17° in January) . The two days with lows of 13° also had sub-freezing high readings. One of them, 12/22, had a high/low of 21°/13°, making it the coldest day of the year (and with winds gusting between 35-45 mph, wind chills were in the single digits). Lastly, the month's mildest reading, 60°, also occurred on two days (but not consecutive).
Here are links to past December recaps:
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