December 2025 OBS and Discussion

[JustinRP37]

Just got back from a visit to Ohio yesterday and was impressed with around 8 inches when I got home! Currently some freezing rain. Looking forward for the return to cold after tomorrow but pissed we have to have freezing rain and rain after that beautiful snow. 

[Volcanic Winter]

8 hours ago, JustinRP37 said:

Just got back from a visit to Ohio yesterday and was impressed with around 8 inches when I got home! Currently some freezing rain. Looking forward for the return to cold after tomorrow but pissed we have to have freezing rain and rain after that beautiful snow. 

Yup, even down here I had a hard glaze of snow topped ice that persisted since Fri night until the warm up began yesterday. Lasted all Saturday instead of instantly vanishing. 

If we can get an event, even small, not tied to an extreme warm up this seems like a good winter for retention even at the CP. The last such for me was 14-15. My Dec average temp is 32.9 which is wild, coldest Dec by a mile since I installed my Tempest. 

[bluewave]

Classic snowpack eater dense fog across the area this morning with only around 0.12 mile visibility at spots like JFK and ISP.

Dec 29, 6:51 am

42

41

96

37

SSW

8

0.12

Lt drizzle, Fog

 

[ForestHillWx]

PIt’s still 32 here. Salt trucks thankfully out all night. 

[CPcantmeasuresnow]

32.5 here with dense fog, Snow pack pretty much intact so far.

[IrishRob17]

16 minutes ago, CPcantmeasuresnow said:

32.5 here with dense fog, Snow pack pretty much intact so far.

32.2 here, I was still below freezing until the last 30 minutes when it started creeping up. 

[gravitylover]

Dense, snow eating fog since before midnight here. It ripened the snowpack in a hurry and as the temp got over about 35° the melt started running down the driveway. Where salt got to is just wet now but untreated spots are sketchy.

[Rjay]

1 hour ago, bluewave said:

Classic snowpack eater dense fog across the area this morning with only around 0.12 mile visibility at spots like JFK and ISP.

Dec 29, 6:51 am

42

41

96

37

SSW

8

0.12

Lt drizzle, Fog

 

Yup. Had several inches at midnight otg. The fog really destroyed the snowpack quickly.  Ground still covered but prob wont be by end of day. 

[Snowlover11]

Driving home was fun in near zero visibility. Snowpack taking a huge hit.

[SACRUS]

36/35 here fog - just an ugly day anyway you slice it weather - wise. Tempa up to the 48 - 52 range and making a dentin in the snow-sleet - ice.  Back down the temperature coaster Dec 30 - Jan 5. Overnight forecasts were softer with the extent of the trough / cold but i suspect we can hone in on a period of cold after the 5th with a potential sharp moderation towards the 11th.

 

[bluewave]

10 minutes ago, Rjay said:

Yup. Had several inches at midnight otg. The fog really destroyed the snowpack quickly.  Ground still covered but prob wont be by end of day. 

One of the coolest sights I had living in Long Beach occurred on a day like this with WAA over a deep snowpack. It was a dense fog which only extended to around 5-10 feet above the snowpack. Had to be the shallowest fog bank I ever saw on the South Shore. 

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 71 (1984)
NYC: 70 (1984)
LGA: 68 (1984)
JFK: 65 (1984)

Lows:

EWR: -2 (1933)
NYC: -6 (1917) *start of brutal record cold wave into the city
LGA: 12 (2017)
JFK: 12 (2017)

Historical:

1830 - A very heavy snowstorm ushered in the "winter of the deep snow." The storm produced 30 inches of snow at Peoria IL and 36 inches at Kansas City MO. Cold and snow continued until the middle of February causing great suffering among pioneers. (David Ludlum)

 

1876: The Pacific Express train was crossing the Ashtabula River in Ohio when the bridge collapsed. The bridge collapsed at 7:28 PM, during a snowstorm that left two feet of snow and produced 40 mph winds. The only railcar not to fall into the icy river below was the first locomotive.

1894 - A severe freeze hit Florida destroying fruit and causing considerable damage to trees. (David Ludlum)

1917: The coldest period of the winter of 1917-18 occurred from December 29th to January 4th. Brutal record cold dominated from the Plains to the East Coast. Locations that reported all-time December record lows included: Washta, IA: -40 °F, Huron, SD: -33 °F (broke previous daily record by 10 degrees), Sioux Falls, SD: -31 °F, Sioux City, IA: -28 °F and Philadelphia, PA: -1 °F. Locations reporting daily record lows included: Bismarck, ND: -37 °F, International Falls, MN: -36 °F, Aberdeen, SD: -35 °F, Aberdeen, SD: -35 °F, Grand Forks, ND: -35 °F, Wheaton, SD: -33 °F, Watertown, D: -32 °F, Kennebec, SD: -31 °F, Duluth, MN: -30 °F, St. Cloud, MN: -27 °F, Norfolk, NE: -27 °F, Minneapolis, MN: -24 °F, Burlington, VT: -23 °F, Ste. St. Marie, MI: -20 °F, Omaha, NE: -20 °F, Waterloo, IA: -18 °F, Lincoln, NE: -18 °F, Elkins, WV: -18 °F, Des Moines, IA: -17 °F-Tied, Syracuse, NY: -16 °F, Grand Island, NE: -14 °F, Green Bay, WI: -14 °F, Dubuque, IA: -13 °F, Peoria, IL: -13 °F, Peoria, IL: -13 °F, Portland, ME: -12 °F, Rockford, IL: -11 °F, Boston, MA: -11 °F, Hartford, CT: -10 °F, Milton, MA: -10 °F, Avoca, PA: -10 °F (broke previous record by 10 degrees), Concordia, KS: -9 °F, Topeka, KS: -9 °F, Kansas City, MO: -9 °F, Columbia, MO: -8 °F, Providence, RI: -8 °F, New York (Central Park), NY: -6 °F, Rochester, NY: -5 °F, Washington, DC: 2 °F, Wilmington, DE: 2 °F, Baltimore, MD: 2 °F, Beckley, WV: 2 °F, Asheville, NC: 3 °F, Lynchburg, VA: 4 °F, Richmond, VA: 5 °F, Charleston, WV: 8 °F, Raleigh, NC: 10 °F-Tied, Norfolk, VA: 11 °F, Wilmington, NC: 12 °F,Boston, Massachusetts had a +2 °F the lowest high temperature for the month of December. (Ref. Wilson Wx. Additional Temperatures Given) (Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1919: The American Meteorological Society was founded in St. Louis, MO. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History )

1954 - Fort Scott, KS, was buried under 26 inches of snow in 24 hours to establish a state record. (28th-29th) (The Weather Channel)

1972: A late season severe weather outbreak brought tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds to central and north-central Oklahoma. A tornado in McClain County damaged a farm, destroyed a garage, and blew away a boat near Purcell. Farther north, in the Perry area, hail larger than baseballs damaged homes, businesses, and automobiles. As the storms moved east into the Stillwater area, they produced 70 to 90 mph winds, which damaged 10 trailer homes. Fortunately, no one was hurt or killed by the widespread severe weather. On the backside of the storm, heavy snow and high winds buffeted portions of eastern Nebraska through the 30th. Snowfall accumulated to depths of around a foot in this area coupled with winds of 30 to 50 mph. Norfolk clocked winds to 67 mph. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History )

1984 - One hundred cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures. Kansas City, MO, experienced its warmest December day of record with a morning low of 60 degrees and an afternoon high of 71 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)

1987 - A storm off the Middle Atlantic Coast produced heavy snow in the Appalachians and the northeastern U.S. Snow and high winds created blizzard conditions in southeastern Massachusetts. Cape Cod received thirteen inches of snow, and snow drifts three feet deep were reported around Chatham MA. Strong winds produced wind chill readings as cold as 60 degrees below zero in southwestern New England. In the western U.S., a Pacific coast storm produced heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada Range of California, with 24 inches reported at Mammoth Mountain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - A cold front brought rain and snow to the northwestern U.S. The rainfall total of 2.70 inches at Astoria OR was a record for the date. High winds along the eastern slopes of the Northern Rockies gusted to 81 mph at Livingston MT. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1989 - Snow and ice prevailed from the southwestern U.S. to the Great Lakes Region. Flagstaff, AZ, received nine inches of snow in just six hours. Bitter cold weather continued over Maine. Portland ME reported a record twenty-two straight days with highs 32 degrees or colder. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1992: Big time snows across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 30 inches of snow fell at Daggett Pass CA in just 24 hours. The snow depth at the Sierra Ski Ranch had accumulated to 118 inches. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1994: Wind gusts to 80 mph caused the derailment of a ski lift at NH’s Loon Mountain. Appprox. 180 skiers had to be evacuated from the lift. The winds also caused minor structural damage to the base lodge. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1996: 27 inches of snow was on the ground at Yakima, WA to set a new record for greatest snowfall depth ever on the ground at that location. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

2004: The world's highest barometric pressure (adjusted to sea level) was recorded at Tonsontsengel, Mongolia at 32.25 inches of mercury or 1092 millibars. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History )

2006: A major winter storm crippled much of southwest Kansas through the 31st. Widespread total precipitation from this storm ranged from 2 to 4 inches of rain and freezing rain and there was even an area from Garden City to Dighton that had up to 6 inches. This is incredible for any time of the year, let alone for December. Significant, widespread damage to trees and especially utility lines, poles, and towers resulted from one half to two and a half inches of ice accumulation. An area from Sublette to Garden City, north through Dighton had the most severe damage. Over 60,000 people were without electricity at one time or another from the nearly 10,000 power poles that were taken down from the weight of the ice. Some of these structures were high transmission towers. In addition to the ice accumulation, large snow amounts were reported in the western part of the area, especially near the Colorado State Line. A location 15 miles west of Johnson had 32 inches of snow. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History )
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Albuquerque, breaks its all-time 24-hour snowfall record with 10.5 inches of snow. The accumulation lifted their monthly total to 14.8 inches, breaking their all-time monthly snowfall record as well. The record would be short-lived as another 15.6 inches of snow would fall there on the 31st. (Ref. WxDoctor)

[SACRUS]

 

 

Adding this to 14 years later to the 1917 December cold outbreak

1933: Locations in the U.S. that reported all-time December record lows included: Burlington, VT: -29 °F-Tied, Alpena, MI: -27 °F, Milton, MA: -19 °F, and Worcester, MA: -17 °F. Locations reporting daily record lows included: Houghton Lake, MI: -25 °F, Ste. St. Marie, MI: -24 °F, Syracuse, NY: -24 °F, Concord, NH: -21 °F, Portland, ME: -18 °F, Albany, NY: -18 °F, Hartford, CT: -11 °F, Providence, RI: -10 °F, Avoca, PA: -10 °F-Tied, Buffalo, NY: -7 °F, Rochester, NY: -7 °F, Williamsport, PA: -4 °F, Newark, NJ: -2 °F, Allentown, PA: -1 °F and Wilmington, DE: 2 °F-Tied.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History )
Boston, Massachusetts had a -17 °F the coldest low temperature for the month of December. (Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

[SACRUS]

 

Heaviest rains/mix  north

 

[JonClaw]

Measured out visibility to be less than 1,000 ft (0.18 miles) around 8AM.

[Stormlover74]

Looks like no advisory from Upton

Wind gusts likely continue to remain in the 30-40mph range tonight with strong CAA allowing substantial BL mixing even overnight. Used 90th percentile of the NBM and winds were still below Wind Advisory criteria, so did not issue a Wind Advisory.

Peak gusts during this period may touch advisory levels, but right now, it looks isolated.