December 2025 General Discussion

[cyclone77]

Had an hour period of non-accumulating snow globe action. Always nice to see daytime snow here west of the lakes.

[RemoteSenses]

Just finished snowblowing the driveway. 6.8" here after last nights storm. 

[Chicago Storm]

2 hours ago, A-L-E-K said:

the snowpack was built on dusters

poor take, they definitelywere not dusters.

[SchaumburgStormer]

30 minutes ago, beavis1729 said:

I'm going to trust that others are with me in this rant...but if not, then ignore or delete the post, and call me crazy/unhinged.

How do we get 15" of snow in a 7-day period, then it's down to bare patches a few days later with only 18 hours of above-freezing temps?  It's absolutely ridiculous, and wipes out any earlier thoughts on "a great start to winter".  If the snow doesn't stay on the ground, it's as though it never happened.

Even prior to the short thaw yesterday, the depth was down to 9" IMBY, which is a whole other issue...as the depth went down by 6" with sub-freezing temps.  Now it's down to 3" of slush.  I realize there can be some compaction and a bit of melting over time, and when you have 18 hours with temps 34-38, but the sun never came out...which normally would help.  It's not like it hit 50F with dews in the 40s. There should be 10" of depth now, not 3"...and it's even worse by ORD and the more urbanized areas.

Why is it so ******* difficult to preserve snow around here?  Do soil temps really make that much of a difference, combined with a half-day with dews over 32F?  How do you lose 15" of snow with one day above freezing, during the time of year when sun angle is the lowest? 

It's a like a million things need to go right to get snow in the first place, and then a million more things need to go right to keep it on the ground.  One tiny thing goes wrong, and it all vanishes. If yesterday's "storm" would have tracked 75 miles further south (which is just a chaotic blip in the grand scheme of things), none of this would be happening.  One tiny annoying random event should not destroy 2 weeks of a good pattern, but it does.  Same thing happened with GHD I in Feb. 2011.  22" of depth on 2/5/11, and it was essentially all gone 10 days later.  If that were March, no problem...but that shouldn't happen in early-mid Feb, well within the winter season on the calendar.

This looked like a guaranteed White Christmas a few days ago, now it's almost a guaranteed brown Christmas...just a complete 180 degree turnaround.

 

Beavis ranting because we GOT snow? This December really is topsy turvy 

[michaelmantis]

Even after the all evening rain, still looks to be 3-4 inches of snow all around on in my neck of the woods that is quickly becoming a glacier. Now just need a few inches to give it a nice look again. Sick looking out the window and the nice winter scene with what remains from a-hole people walking their dog shitting and peeing without cleaning it up. 

[sbnwx85]

It’s not officially winter in the Midwest until we get a good Beavis rant . Nothing we can do to control the weather but it is frustrating.

[ChiTownSnow]

Sheesh.. this escalated quickly

[Stevo6899]

Beavis could win the powerball and still complain about having to pay 200 mil in taxes. Altho im sure some could say the same about me. 

[Chicago Storm]

2 hours ago, beavis1729 said:

I'm going to trust that others are with me in this rant...but if not, then ignore or delete the post, and call me crazy/unhinged.

How do we get 15" of snow in a 7-day period, then it's down to bare patches a few days later with only 18 hours of above-freezing temps?  It's absolutely ridiculous, and wipes out any earlier thoughts on "a great start to winter".  If the snow doesn't stay on the ground, it's as though it never happened.

Even prior to the short thaw yesterday, the depth was down to 9" IMBY, which is a whole other issue...as the depth went down by 6" with sub-freezing temps.  Now it's down to 3" of slush.  I realize there can be some compaction and a bit of melting over time, and when you have 18 hours with temps 34-38, but the sun never came out...which normally would help.  It's not like it hit 50F with dews in the 40s. There should be 10" of depth now, not 3"...and it's even worse by ORD and the more urbanized areas.

Why is it so ******* difficult to preserve snow around here?  Do soil temps really make that much of a difference, combined with a half-day with dews over 32F?  How do you lose 15" of snow with one day above freezing, during the time of year when sun angle is the lowest? 

It's a like a million things need to go right to get snow in the first place, and then a million more things need to go right to keep it on the ground.  One tiny thing goes wrong, and it all vanishes. If yesterday's "storm" would have tracked 75 miles further south (which is just a chaotic blip in the grand scheme of things), none of this would be happening.  One tiny annoying random event should not destroy 2 weeks of a good pattern, but it does.  Same thing happened with GHD I in Feb. 2011.  22" of depth on 2/5/11, and it was essentially all gone 10 days later.  If that were March, no problem...but that shouldn't happen in early-mid Feb, well within the winter season on the calendar.

This looked like a guaranteed White Christmas a few days ago, now it's almost a guaranteed brown Christmas...just a complete 180 degree turnaround.

"mild" ground temps + dp's above 32 + temps above 32 + windy + rain = rapid melt.

also, if one has been looking at the pattern ahead, they would know a white christmas was never a guarantee.

[sbnwx85]

Kinda rippin now. Too bad temps are marginal.

[sbnwx85]

It’s lake effect raining now. I hate it. Makes me angrier than Beavis during an El Niño winter.

[Brian D]

5 hours ago, beavis1729 said:

I'm going to trust that others are with me in this rant...but if not, then ignore or delete the post, and call me crazy/unhinged.

How do we get 15" of snow in a 7-day period, then it's down to bare patches a few days later with only 18 hours of above-freezing temps?  It's absolutely ridiculous, and wipes out any earlier thoughts on "a great start to winter".  If the snow doesn't stay on the ground, it's as though it never happened.

Even prior to the short thaw yesterday, the depth was down to 9" IMBY, which is a whole other issue...as the depth went down by 6" with sub-freezing temps.  Now it's down to 3" of slush.  I realize there can be some compaction and a bit of melting over time, and when you have 18 hours with temps 34-38, but the sun never came out...which normally would help.  It's not like it hit 50F with dews in the 40s. There should be 10" of depth now, not 3"...and it's even worse by ORD and the more urbanized areas.

Why is it so ******* difficult to preserve snow around here?  Do soil temps really make that much of a difference, combined with a half-day with dews over 32F?  How do you lose 15" of snow with one day above freezing, during the time of year when sun angle is the lowest? 

It's a like a million things need to go right to get snow in the first place, and then a million more things need to go right to keep it on the ground.  One tiny thing goes wrong, and it all vanishes. If yesterday's "storm" would have tracked 75 miles further south (which is just a chaotic blip in the grand scheme of things), none of this would be happening.  One tiny annoying random event should not destroy 2 weeks of a good pattern, but it does.  Same thing happened with GHD I in Feb. 2011.  22" of depth on 2/5/11, and it was essentially all gone 10 days later.  If that were March, no problem...but that shouldn't happen in early-mid Feb, well within the winter season on the calendar.

This looked like a guaranteed White Christmas a few days ago, now it's almost a guaranteed brown Christmas...just a complete 180 degree turnaround.

 

What was the SWE of that snow? Drier snows melt down faster. More air in the pack with fluffier snows as well. 

[Torchageddon]

I'm getting daily snows to keep things fresh, I got 12cm/4.5" yesterday and this morning more SN+ from LES although the heavier bands are to my SW. The % of hours this Dec with snow flying in the air has been high. Snowpack at 50cm/20". Even with the wind and dry snow its sticking to trees and most surfaces! This is shaping up to be one of my favorite Decembers, only missing a synoptic snow storm which doesn't seem to happen anymore in the first half of Decs (been forever).

[michsnowfreak]

These dudes were chilling by the side of a road last night. Frozen solid after a slushy day.

[michsnowfreak]

21 hours ago, beavis1729 said:

I'm going to trust that others are with me in this rant...but if not, then ignore or delete the post, and call me crazy/unhinged.

How do we get 15" of snow in a 7-day period, then it's down to bare patches a few days later with only 18 hours of above-freezing temps?  It's absolutely ridiculous, and wipes out any earlier thoughts on "a great start to winter".  If the snow doesn't stay on the ground, it's as though it never happened.

Even prior to the short thaw yesterday, the depth was down to 9" IMBY, which is a whole other issue...as the depth went down by 6" with sub-freezing temps.  Now it's down to 3" of slush.  I realize there can be some compaction and a bit of melting over time, and when you have 18 hours with temps 34-38, but the sun never came out...which normally would help.  It's not like it hit 50F with dews in the 40s. There should be 10" of depth now, not 3"...and it's even worse by ORD and the more urbanized areas.

Why is it so ******* difficult to preserve snow around here?  Do soil temps really make that much of a difference, combined with a half-day with dews over 32F?  How do you lose 15" of snow with one day above freezing, during the time of year when sun angle is the lowest? 

It's a like a million things need to go right to get snow in the first place, and then a million more things need to go right to keep it on the ground.  One tiny thing goes wrong, and it all vanishes. If yesterday's "storm" would have tracked 75 miles further south (which is just a chaotic blip in the grand scheme of things), none of this would be happening.  One tiny annoying random event should not destroy 2 weeks of a good pattern, but it does.  Same thing happened with GHD I in Feb. 2011.  22" of depth on 2/5/11, and it was essentially all gone 10 days later.  If that were March, no problem...but that shouldn't happen in early-mid Feb, well within the winter season on the calendar.

This looked like a guaranteed White Christmas a few days ago, now it's almost a guaranteed brown Christmas...just a complete 180 degree turnaround.

 

While I always share frustration in snowmelt, Im curious, why do you only post when its to complain? I dont think I saw one post from you during Chicago's snow blitz not to mention one of the coldest starts to December on record. 

[OrdIowPitMsp]

Persistent flurries/light snow from the low stratus kept temps relatively mild overnight. Only made it down to 12F

[WestMichigan]

1 hour ago, michsnowfreak said:

While I always share frustration in snowmelt, Im curious, why do you only post when its to complain? I dont think I saw one post from you during Chicago's snow blitz not to mention one of the coldest starts to December on record. 

GRR has had its 5th coldest start to December.  Too bad a meltdown looks like it is coming.

[frostfern]

On 12/10/2025 at 1:16 PM, SchaumburgStormer said:

Beavis ranting because we GOT snow? This December really is topsy turvy 

As a snowpack appreciator I understand his rant.  Melting is annoying unless it’s late March.

[frostfern]

5 hours ago, michsnowfreak said:

While I always share frustration in snowmelt, Im curious, why do you only post when its to complain? I dont think I saw one post from you during Chicago's snow blitz not to mention one of the coldest starts to December on record. 

He needs to move to the UP.  Chicago is so much better in terms of summer storms, but it isn’t really a place where snowpack sticks around easily.

[frostfern]

On 12/10/2025 at 7:42 AM, A-L-E-K said:

p rough look 

gonna end up a seriously two-faced month

August ridge rider pattern.

[beavis1729]

6 hours ago, michsnowfreak said:

While I always share frustration in snowmelt, Im curious, why do you only post when its to complain? I dont think I saw one post from you during Chicago's snow blitz not to mention one of the coldest starts to December on record. 

Fair question. To frostfern - yeah, the UP would be nice. Or, even just somewhere 45N or north, where temps are more reliably colder and the sun angle is lower. Every little bit helps. My son is thinking about going to Michigan Tech next year, but will probably land on WMU.

Anyway - the quick answer is because of the frustration when something good goes away. To me, snow is only meaningful if it stays on the ground, i.e., it "looks and feels like winter". When you walk outside during DJF, this is how it should be. There doesn't need to be 3 feet of snow cover with sub-zero temps, but highs below freezing with reliable snow cover (and no annoying bare spots under trees/open areas/etc.) would be nice.

Of course the snowfall itself over the past two weeks was good, but when it all gets wiped away then it ruins everything about it. On top of that - at the moment when I posted my rant, it was because 3 bad things all happened at once, vs. what it had looked like a few days before...or even vs. how things "should be" in winter: (1) Much faster snowmelt than it should have been (2) The Thu & Sat clippers began trending away from the area (3) the mid-late Dec warm-up was becoming more likely instead of just la-la land/model volatility.

In other words, we were finally having a good start to winter...and then it vaporized (no pun intended). 3-5 days ago, I was thinking we'd end this upcoming weekend with the highest depth of the season so far, say around 12" (due to surviving the thaw with around 8" and then adding 4" between the two upcoming clippers), then we could coast into a White Christmas even if there were a modest thaw. Now, none of that will happen.

The main point still stands - a million things need to go right to get snow in the first place and then keep it on the ground. Even one single above-normal day wipes out nearly all of the snow from the prior 10 days, in addition to the annoying warm soil temps. Soil temps are just one more thing that can go wrong; I never realized how much of an impact that had until recently. Too early in the season, soil temps are warm. Too late in the season, sun angle melts the snow on a normal/sunny winter day. So now our "dependable" winter season is January? No, that's not true either, because most Januarys get into the 40s here a few times, and of course record highs on most days are 50s/60s. That's unacceptable for the heart of winter.

Now we have to suffer through a non-good pattern, where it may not feel much like winter from 12/15 through month's end and even into January. The good parts of winter can really be good around here, but they only last a couple of weeks. Winter is 13 weeks, not 2 weeks. It's frustrating when you need everything to align in order to have it look and feel like winter, instead of the calendar dictating it. Snowfall isn't the issue here - it's temps. To me, there should not be puddles and melting in winter. When that happens, it sucks. It doesn't matter whether it's logical to believe that, or if snowfall/temps are "better than normal". When your climo sucks, you need to do a lot to overcome it. Many people on this board seem to take a logical approach, where they're happy when winter is better than climo. But I'm not.