Torchiest Decembers....all long ago...and they dont look fun

[michsnowfreak]

Here are a look at some SCARY warm Decembers....

 

The top 4 warmest Decembers for Detroit were all set long before our time...Im sure other locations will probably find these rankings very high in their lists as well. Now THESE are December torches...YUCK!

 

#1 - December 1881 - Mean Temp 40.6F!

Detroit Area, MI (ThreadEx)Daily Data For a MonthDecember 1881Day   MaxT   MinT   AvgT   Dprt    HDD    CDD   Pcpn   Snow   Dpth 1      58     37     48     13     17      0   0.16    0.0      M 2      44     35     40      5     25      0   0.00    0.0      M 3      48     34     41      7     24      0      T    0.0      M 4      44     37     41      7     24      0   0.09    0.0      M 5      45     36     41      7     24      0   0.00    0.0      M 6      49     44     47     14     18      0   0.07    0.0      M 7      48     32     40      7     25      0   0.02    0.2      M 8      43     32     38      6     27      0   0.00    0.0      M 9      42     27     35      3     30      0   0.00    0.0      M10      37     24     31     -1     34      0   0.00    0.0      M11      41     36     39      8     26      0   0.04    0.4      M12      52     39     46     15     19      0   0.08    0.0      M13      60     50     55     24     10      0   1.15    0.0      M14      58     32     45     15     20      0   0.00    0.0      M15      36     30     33      3     32      0   0.00    0.0      M16      44     30     37      7     28      0   0.00    0.0      M17      52     41     47     18     18      0   0.00    0.0      M18      46     35     41     12     24      0   0.00    0.0      M19      51     40     46     17     19      0   0.00    0.0      M20      47     42     45     16     20      0   0.08    0.0      M21      46     40     43     15     22      0   0.33    0.0      M22      46     40     43     15     22      0   1.09    0.0      M23      40     31     36      8     29      0   0.53    0.0      M24      43     30     37      9     28      0   0.00    0.0      M25      46     36     41     13     24      0   0.00    0.0      M26      49     39     44     17     21      0      T    0.0      M27      47     36     42     15     23      0   0.20    0.0      M28      54     42     48     21     17      0   0.06    0.0      M29      50     35     43     16     22      0   0.04    0.0      M30      35     26     31      4     34      0   0.07    0.7      M31      26     24     25     -2     40      0   0.16    1.6      M

[dmc76]

I'm confused

[michsnowfreak]

I'm confused

I was testing something out...you responded too soon

[dmc76]

I was testing something out...you responded too soon

 

I thought you were short circuiting 

[michsnowfreak]

#2 - December 1889 - Mean Temp 39.2F. This is the only DJF month on record where Detroit saw not one flake of snow.

Detroit Area, MI (ThreadEx)Daily Data For a MonthDecember 1889Day   MaxT   MinT   AvgT   Dprt    HDD    CDD   Pcpn   Snow   Dpth 1      40     22     31     -4     34      0   0.00    0.0      M 2      48     36     42      7     23      0      T    0.0      M 3      35     24     30     -4     35      0   0.03    0.0      M 4      34     19     27     -7     38      0   0.00    0.0      M 5      41     27     34      0     31      0   0.14    0.0      M 6      40     30     35      2     30      0   0.00    0.0      M 7      47     31     39      6     26      0   0.00    0.0      M 8      60     40     50     18     15      0   0.20    0.0      M 9      52     38     45     13     20      0   0.00    0.0      M10      50     38     44     12     21      0   0.35    0.0      M11      48     37     43     12     22      0   0.00    0.0      M12      57     36     47     16     18      0   0.00    0.0      M13      45     35     40      9     25      0   0.00    0.0      M14      36     30     33      3     32      0   0.17    0.0      M15      44     32     38      8     27      0   0.00    0.0      M16      48     35     42     12     23      0   0.07    0.0      M17      48     41     45     16     20      0   0.31    0.0      M18      48     41     45     16     20      0   0.05    0.0      M19      47     35     41     12     24      0   0.00    0.0      M20      45     37     41     12     24      0   0.15    0.0      M21      50     32     41     13     24      0   0.00    0.0      M22      41     33     37      9     28      0   0.88    0.0      M23      43     31     37      9     28      0   0.00    0.0      M24      61     37     49     21     16      0   0.33    0.0      M25      54     41     48     20     17      0      T    0.0      M26      40     32     36      9     29      0   0.32    0.0      M27      43     26     35      8     30      0      T    0.0      M28      44     31     38     11     27      0   0.00    0.0      M29      65     34     50     23     15      0   0.09    0.0      M30      30     24     27      0     38      0   0.00    0.0      M31      36     23     30      3     35      0   0.00    0.0      M

[michsnowfreak]

#3 - December 1877 - Mean temp 38.1F

Detroit Area, MI (ThreadEx)Daily Data For a MonthDecember 1877Day   MaxT   MinT   AvgT   Dprt    HDD    CDD   Pcpn   Snow   Dpth 1      30     24     27     -8     38      0      T    1.6      M 2      32     18     25    -10     40      0   0.00    0.0      M 3      40     26     33     -1     32      0   0.00    0.0      M 4      46     35     41      7     24      0   0.30    0.0      M 5      46     34     40      6     25      0   0.13    0.0      M 6      34     26     30     -3     35      0   0.03    0.3      M 7      35     21     28     -5     37      0      T      T      M 8      34     29     32      0     33      0      T      T      M 9      32     25     29     -3     36      0   0.00    0.0      M10      50     30     40      8     25      0   0.00    0.0      M11      50     36     43     12     22      0   0.00    0.0      M12      52     30     41     10     24      0   0.00    0.0      M13      49     33     41     10     24      0   0.00    0.0      M14      40     25     33      3     32      0   0.00    0.0      M15      53     32     43     13     22      0   0.00    0.0      M16      48     35     42     12     23      0   0.02    0.0      M17      52     33     43     14     22      0   0.04    0.0      M18      48     33     41     12     24      0   0.07    0.0      M19      58     48     53     24     12      0   0.21    0.0      M20      53     45     49     20     16      0   0.16    0.0      M21      49     42     46     18     19      0   0.00    0.0      M22      44     40     42     14     23      0      T    0.0      M23      50     42     46     18     19      0   0.11    0.0      M24      42     40     41     13     24      0   0.00    0.0      M25      42     39     41     13     24      0   0.18    0.0      M26      43     39     41     14     24      0   0.23    0.0      M27      42     35     39     12     26      0   0.01    0.0      M28      43     33     38     11     27      0      T      T      M29      41     33     37     10     28      0   0.00    0.0      M30      37     29     33      6     32      0   0.00    0.0      M31      30     25     28      1     37      0   0.00    0.0      M

[Jonger]

In 1889 they probably loved it.

[michsnowfreak]

#4 - December 1923 - Mean temp 37.7F

Detroit Area, MI (ThreadEx)Daily Data For a MonthDecember 1923Day   MaxT   MinT   AvgT   Dprt    HDD    CDD   Pcpn   Snow   Dpth 1      44     38     41      6     24      0      T    0.0      M 2      44     33     39      4     26      0      T    0.0      M 3      42     30     36      2     29      0   0.17    0.0      M 4      40     36     38      4     27      0   0.69    0.0      M 5      40     37     39      5     26      0   0.15    0.0      M 6      43     35     39      6     26      0   0.01    0.0      M 7      47     31     39      6     26      0   0.00    0.0      M 8      51     44     48     16     17      0   0.12    0.0      M 9      48     39     44     12     21      0   0.00    0.0      M10      47     34     41      9     24      0   0.00    0.0      M11      43     27     35      4     30      0   0.00    0.0      M12      52     29     41     10     24      0   0.43    0.0      M13      55     21     38      7     27      0   0.79    0.8      M14      31     20     26     -4     39      0      T      T      M15      35     26     31      1     34      0   0.00    0.0      M16      50     29     40     10     25      0   0.00    0.0      M17      38     30     34      5     31      0      T      T      M18      45     32     39     10     26      0   0.00    0.0      M19      48     34     41     12     24      0      T    0.0      M20      53     45     49     20     16      0   0.17    0.0      M21      50     40     45     17     20      0      T    0.0      M22      43     38     41     13     24      0   0.01    0.0      M23      40     32     36      8     29      0   0.54    3.1      M24      37     24     31      3     34      0   0.00    0.0      M25      38     30     34      6     31      0   0.10    1.0      M26      39     30     35      8     30      0      T    0.0      M27      45     36     41     14     24      0   0.19    0.0      M28      44     28     36      9     29      0   0.00    0.0      M29      42     27     35      8     30      0   0.00    0.0      M30      34     30     32      5     33      0   0.08    0.6      M31      40     22     31      4     34      0   0.01      T      M

[Jonger]

Dec 1983 was a disaster.

[dmc76]

Dec 1983 was a disaster.

 

Dec 1998 was a disaster

[michsnowfreak]

Dec 1983 was a disaster.

You are thinking Dec 1982. That ranks at 6th warmest, behind 2006. And the above 4. Whats interesting is that 1881, 1889, and 1877 all were WELL warmer than 1982 or 2006. Look at the 1877 torch..for 6 straight days the temp never went below 40F!!!!

[Ottawa Blizzard]

In 1889 they probably loved it.

This. In an age without central heating, cold would not have been welcomed. This being said, I read somewhere that snow was welcomed back then as, in stark contrast to today, it made travel easier given people rode in sleighs as opposed to cars.

 

Dec 1983 was a disaster.

Really? It was quite a good month in Toronto and Ottawa if you like snow and cold.

[dmc76]

Dec 1983 had below zero weather around xmas??

[michsnowfreak]

This. In an age without central heating, cold would not have been welcomed. This being said, I read somewhere that snow was welcomed back then as, in stark contrast to today, it made travel easier given people rode in sleighs as opposed to cars.

 

Really? It was quite a good month in Toronto and Ottawa if you like snow and cold.

I have a lot of local newspaper articles from the late 1800s, and they usually bring up the weather, esp in local brevities section. From the winter of 1889-90 and they were marveling how people were sitting "with open doors and without fires"..."boating on the river as fine as summer"...."children playing marbles on green grass"..."peach limbs in full blow (in Feb)". But they also lament "no snow for tracking rabbits" and "no ice to store for summer use".

[Chicago WX]

December 1889 is the warmest for Indianapolis at 46.2˚. Not a flake of snow either. There are five Aprils on record that are cooler than that month.

 

[Chicago WX]

Dec 1983 had below zero weather around xmas??

 

Yep. Very cold.

 

 

 

[Ottawa Blizzard]

I have a lot of local newspaper articles from the late 1800s, and they usually bring up the weather, esp in local brevities section. From the winter of 1889-90 and they were marveling how people were sitting "with open doors and without fires"..."boating on the river as fine as summer"...."children playing marbles on green grass"..."peach limbs in full blow (in Feb)". But they also lament "no snow for tracking rabbits" and "no ice to store for summer use".

Not sure what December 1911 was like in Detroit and Chicago, but it was a torch in Toronto. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

 

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?timeframe=2&Prov=ONT&StationID=5051&dlyRange=1840-03-01%7C2013-12-10&cmdB1=Go&Year=1911&Month=12&Day=3

 

Note the torch between December 8-12, 1911, a similar time of the month to when a torch may occur this year.

 

Next take a look at how cold January and February 1912 were. Similar pattern this year?

[snowstormcanuck]

Dec 1998 was a disaster

 

It ended up being worth it.

[LakeEffectOH]

Where are you guys getting this data from?  Thanks!  A link would be great too.

[Chicago WX]

Where are you guys getting this data from?  Thanks!  A link would be great too.

 

Easiest way: http://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/#

[LakeEffectOH]

 

Chicago Wx...thanks!

[Chicago WX]

Not a problem.

 

I was looking at the warmest Dec 11-20 periods in Chicago's history, and came across Dec 1877. That's  a pretty nice March.

 

BTW, Dec 11-20,1877 by far blows the rest away with a mean max temp in that period period of 57.7˚.

 

Full month below.

 

[Ottawa Blizzard]

Not a problem.

 

I was looking at the warmest Dec 11-20 periods in Chicago's history, and came across Dec 1877. That's  a pretty nice March.

 

BTW, Dec 11-20,1877 by far blows the rest away with a mean max temp in that period period of 57.7˚.

 

Full month below.

 

chicago dec 1877.png

If the 12z GFS and Euro are right, some 1877 daily records may be challenged.

[Ottawa Blizzard]

Not a problem.

 

I was looking at the warmest Dec 11-20 periods in Chicago's history, and came across Dec 1877. That's  a pretty nice March.

 

BTW, Dec 11-20,1877 by far blows the rest away with a mean max temp in that period period of 57.7˚.

 

Full month below.

 

chicago dec 1877.png

Here is December 1877 in Toronto. Only 0.8cm of snow for the month.

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?timeframe=2&Prov=ONT&StationID=5051&dlyRange=1840-03-01%7C2013-12-10&cmdB1=Go&Year=1877&Month=12&Day=3

[snowstormcanuck]

Here is December 1877 in Toronto. Only 0.8cm of snow for the month.

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?timeframe=2&Prov=ONT&StationID=5051&dlyRange=1840-03-01%7C2013-12-10&cmdB1=Go&Year=1877&Month=12&Day=3

 

Unusually crappy winter in the heart of our little ice age.

[wxhstn74]

OMG! Just came to look at the board and all there is, is SOME gripin' about possibility of a warm Dec/little snow! You guys are a TRIP! It's the same people that were all gun-ho about a cold snowy winter last month. LMFAO. We just had a record cold/snowy winter with many behind it the last decade. You shouldn't be "in the wx biz" if you are like this every winter.

 

Just for your info; Dec's in my analogues were by far the warmest with all together average over 30 degrees. Most were normal to above out of (6/10). And yes, there were some warm/blo norm snow Decembers>>>

 

  DETROIT   A SEASON DEC N 1884-85 30.3 A 1895-96 29.7 L 1923-24 37.7 O 1925-26 27.0 G 1939-40 33.5 U 1963-64 23.8 E 1968-69 28.1   1977-78 25.5 W 1994-95 35.4 E 2004-05 29.7 A     K Ave 30.1   NORM 30Y 30.1 E  

0.0

 

[stormtrackertf]

61 degrees on Christmas eve...that must have been strange.

[Powerball]

It ended up being worth it.

 

Yep.

 

Hopefully that will be the case with this December as well...

[michsnowfreak]

If the 12z GFS and Euro are right, some 1877 daily records may be challenged.

Actually neither model shows high temps in record territory verbatum. Just a stretch of mildness (well we have to extrapolate the euro as its 10-day run does not show mild for Toronto or Detroit).

[michsnowfreak]

Unusually crappy winter in the heart of our little ice age.

Actually....its funny that we know that as a period of a little ice age, because there were several WARM winters.

1877-78

1879-80

1881-82

1889-90

 

And Im talking craptastic...as in...it makes winters like 2011-12 look grand. Im not sure about Toronto, but at Detroit, it would appear 1877-78 at least had a few good snowstorms. The other 3 were just trainwrecks.