December 2023

[donsutherland1]

On December 26, 2023, 91% of NWS first order sites had below normal snowfall:

 

[donsutherland1]

Through December 27th, Winter 1872-1873 ranked best in terms of the combination of cold (27.3° mean temperature) and snowfall (26.8") to date.

[LibertyBell]

12 hours ago, gravitylover said:

We run a dehumidifier in the basement all the time, upstairs bathroom and kitchen when necessary. We have forced air heat so most winters we run a humidifier at night. 

thanks that's really needed here.

It's been raining heavily since 2 am

[LibertyBell]

8 hours ago, donsutherland1 said:

Through December 27th, Winter 1872-1873 ranked best in terms of the combination of cold (27.3° mean temperature) and snowfall (26.8") to date.

what was its score Don? and it's interesting that was near the beginning of the record,

Is there any way to project if even earlier winters may have been better for example, there was a winter during the Civil War when NYC and PHL were projected to have received 100" of snow.

 

[LibertyBell]

13 hours ago, SACRUS said:

Mold spores must be exceptionally high and coming into forced air heat wouldnt help much. It does look to dry out Dec 30 into the new year with some sunshine.

Yes..... I have allergic attacks when my heat runs now.

[bluewave]

Closer to the higher end of my +2.5 to +5.0 range worked out this month around the area. 

EWR…+5.4

NYC….+4.5

JFK….+3.5

LGA...+3.4

ISP…..+4.3

FRG….+4.5

HPN….+4.6

BDR….+3.0

HVN….+5.6

DXR….+6.1

POU….+5.1

BDL….+5.6

[LibertyBell]

2 minutes ago, bluewave said:

Closer to the higher end of my +2.5 to +5.0 range worked out this month around the area. 

EWR…+5.4

NYC….+4.5

JFK….+3.5

LGA...+3.4

ISP…..+4.3

FRG….+4.5

HPN….+4.6

BDR….+3.0

HVN….+5.6

DXR….+6.1

POU….+5.1

BDL….+5.6

what about the associated rainfall totals?

who is going to get to double digit rainfall totals for the month and 60 inches for the year? I suspect JFK is a lock for 60 inches at least?

 

[SnoSki14]

32 minutes ago, bluewave said:

Closer to the higher end of my +2.5 to +5.0 range worked out this month around the area. 

EWR…+5.4

NYC….+4.5

JFK….+3.5

LGA...+3.4

ISP…..+4.3

FRG….+4.5

HPN….+4.6

BDR….+3.0

HVN….+5.6

DXR….+6.1

POU….+5.1

BDL….+5.6

And yet some will say it's not as bad because it's not Dec 15.

Well +5 against the highest normals is terrible. 

But I guess you could be +10 or better like folks further west 

[the_other_guy]

12 minutes ago, SnoSki14 said:

And yet some will say it's not as bad because it's not Dec 15.

Well +5 against the highest normals is terrible. 

But I guess you could be +10 or better like folks further west 

this is their 2015. wow this wasn’t the worst December around, the end of it and the transition to January thus far is horrendous.

[Allsnow]

50 minutes ago, bluewave said:

Closer to the higher end of my +2.5 to +5.0 range worked out this month around the area. 

EWR…+5.4

NYC….+4.5

JFK….+3.5

LGA...+3.4

ISP…..+4.3

FRG….+4.5

HPN….+4.6

BDR….+3.0

HVN….+5.6

DXR….+6.1

POU….+5.1

BDL….+5.6

Korh will probably end +7 for the month 

[Volcanic Winter]

2 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

thanks that's really needed here.

It's been raining heavily since 2 am

I started using dehumidifiers a few years back and it was the best decision I ever made for my home. We had occasional light mold growth on the walls by our staircase and upstairs hallway, away from AC vents. Even with a good/new HVAC unit by itself my home humidity is too high especially in the summer. 

I also absolutely loathe humidity, so there’s that aspect of it too. 

[Allsnow]

How much rain has NYC received this month? 

[bluewave]

14 minutes ago, Allsnow said:

Korh will probably end +7 for the month 

Bradford, PA is currently at +9.0 and at their 2nd warmest December.

 

Time Series Summary for BRADFORD REGIONAL AIRPORT, PA - Month of Dec
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

Rank	Year	Mean Avg Temperature	Missing Count
1	2015	39.0	0
2	2023	37.9	4
3	2021	36.0	0
4	2012	35.8	0
5	2006	32.9	0
6	1998	32.3	0
7	2001	32.1	0
8	2011	32.0	0
-	1984	32.0	0
9	1982	31.4	0
10	1990	30.7	0

[Volcanic Winter]

30 minutes ago, SnoSki14 said:

And yet some will say it's not as bad because it's not Dec 15.

Well +5 against the highest normals is terrible. 

But I guess you could be +10 or better like folks further west 

I mean the growing planetary heat imbalance is starting to cause accelerated warming, Dr. James Hansen put out a paper about this recently and it’s pretty harrowing.

I also like to remind people the last time the planet had over 400ppm of CO2, it was around 3C warmer. Temperature follows CO2 change rather nicely when looking back at paleoclimate, so unless physics have changed in the Holocene I’m unsure why that wouldn’t hold true now. Pre-Industrial CO2 was about 280ppm so the change to today is pretty massive. It’s also not CO2 in a vacuum as methane concentrations have been increasing rapidly as well. 

[MANDA]

Two day rainfall = 2.48".

December = 10.43".

2023 = 63.76"

[LibertyBell]

9 minutes ago, Volcanic Winter said:

I started using dehumidifiers a few years back and it was the best decision I ever made for my home. We had occasional light mold growth on the walls by our staircase and upstairs hallway, away from AC vents. Even with a good/new HVAC unit by itself my home humidity is too high especially in the summer. 

I also absolutely loathe humidity, so there’s that aspect of it too. 

Yess and when the steam heat turns on everything gets worse!

How strong or big of a dehumidifier do you need?

[MANDA]

Just now, LibertyBell said:

Yess and when the steam heat turns on everything gets worse!

How strong or big of a dehumidifier do you need?

I'd be careful running a dehumidifier.  If not kept clean you can pump all sorts of bacteria and mold into the air on top of what you may already have.   You've got to keep them clean.

[LibertyBell]

20 minutes ago, the_other_guy said:

this is their 2015. wow this wasn’t the worst December around, the end of it and the transition to January thus far is horrendous.

it would be far more bearable without the rain and with more sunshine

[LibertyBell]

Just now, MANDA said:

I'd be careful running a dehumidifier.  If not kept clean you can pump all sorts of bacteria and mold into the air on top of what you may already have.   You've got to keep them clean.

thanks, so regularly replace the filter?

[MANDA]

7 minutes ago, LibertyBell said:

thanks, so regularly replace the filter?

Yes, keep filter clean, vents on device clean and dump and clean the catch container daily.

[Volcanic Winter]

9 minutes ago, LibertyBell said:

Yess and when the steam heat turns on everything gets worse!

How strong or big of a dehumidifier do you need?

I’m definitely no home dehumidifying expert, I just bought a couple medium sized units off Amazon. I have one on my main floor and one that I use in the garage. My basement hasn’t really had humidity issues for one reason or another, I’m sure it’s more common to run one in your basement. 

But these basic units have done a great job for me and have been reliable. 

[North and West]

I started using dehumidifiers a few years back and it was the best decision I ever made for my home. We had occasional light mold growth on the walls by our staircase and upstairs hallway, away from AC vents. Even with a good/new HVAC unit by itself my home humidity is too high especially in the summer. 
I also absolutely loathe humidity, so there’s that aspect of it too. 

I’m amazed by people not using dehumidifiers. Humidity settles in basements around here no matter how wet or dry the year is.


.

[SACRUS]

 

51 off a low of 49 1.80 in the bucket.  Clouds, drizzle and very wet.  Muddy Christmas continues.  Perhaps some breaks in the clouds today and some  sun tomorrow but Sat looks cloudy again.   It does appear drier and sunnier through Sunday and into next week.

 

 

 

[Dark Star]

3 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

Yes..... I have allergic attacks when my heat runs now.

No solutions.  I don't have allergies, but rather non-allergic rhinitis.  Kind of like a mini case of chronic fatigue syndrome, but nothing to that magnitude.  Who knows in your case?  If you know what you are allergic to, that could help, because then there may be injections you could take?  Maybe there is mold in the basement?  No doubt I have some in mine.  Put a dehumidifier down there, it helps a bit.  You may think about having you ducts cleaned, although I wonder about the completeness of the cleaning.  Some of us were born to suffer (but thankful that it is not worse).  I'm surprised that in 2023, there is no overall cure for sinus related maladies.  The only med that worked somewhat for me was Clarinex D, and most Rx plans do not cover it (over $300 a box).  I went through several sinus doctors and allergists, the last one told me to "Stop searching".

[donsutherland1]

3 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

what was its score Don? and it's interesting that was near the beginning of the record,

Is there any way to project if even earlier winters may have been better for example, there was a winter during the Civil War when NYC and PHL were projected to have received 100" of snow.

 

Its final score was 1st (27.7° winter mean temperature and 60.3" of snow). 1995-96 was first in snowfall but second overall, as it was a much warmer winter than 1872-73.

[donsutherland1]

New York City's ongoing less than 1" daily snowfall drought will reach 683 days today. That will exceed the old record by 300 days.

[LibertyBell]

the sun is coming out and i see a sun dog

[SACRUS]

Records:

 

Highs:

EWR: 68 (1982)
NYC: 65  (2008)
LGA: 65 (2008)


Lows:

EWR: 0 (1933)
NYC: 8 (1917) - -not sure why there is a big discrepancy qith Newark in 1933 perhaps erroneous, also some deep freeze in 1950. 
LGA:  12 (2017)

Historical:

 

1839 - The third storm in two weeks hit the northeastern U.S. It brought two more feet of snow to Hartford, CT, and Worcester, MA. Whole gales swept the coast causing many wrecks. (David Ludlum)

1897 - The temperature at Dayville, OR, hit 81 degrees to establish a state record for December. (The Weather Channel)

1924 - Iowa experienced it coldest December morning of record. Morning lows averaged 25 degrees below zero for the 104 weather stations across the state.

1955 - Anchorage, AK, was buried under 17.7 inches of snow in 24 hours, a record for that location. (28th-29th) (The Weather Channel)

1958 - Albuquerque, NM, received 14.2 inches of snow to establish a 24 hour record. (28th-29th) (The Weather Channel)

1987 - A winter storm produced heavy snow in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Upper Great Lakes Region. Up to twenty inches of snow buried southern Minnesota, and 20 to 40 mph northwesterly winds produced snow drifts six feet high, and reduced visibilities to near zero at times in blowing snow. There were a thousand traffic accidents in Michigan during the storm, resulting in thirty-five injuries. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - Strong winds behind a cold front claimed three lives in eastern Pennsylvania, and injured a dozen others in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Maryland. Winds gusted to 87 mph at Hammonton NJ and in the Washington D.C. area. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Squalls continued to bring snow to the Great Lakes Region, with heavy snow reported near Lake Superior and Lake Ontario. Syracuse NY received 8.5 inches of snow to push the total for the month past their previous December record of 57 inches. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

2003 - A severe snow storm hit northern California and southern Oregon. As much as 2 feet of snow fell along Interstate 5 closing a 150-mile stretch of the interstate, stranding hundreds of travelers. Winds from the storm caused power outages to more than 200,000 customers in California and Oregon. One man died of a heart attack after helping other drivers. (CNN)

2004 - Los Angeles (downtown) broke a daily rainfall record for the month of December (5.55 inches). This was the third wettest calendar day in Los Angeles since records began in 1877.

2005 - An outbreak of severe thunderstorms across portions of the southeast United States on the 28th produced hail, high winds and a few tornadoes. The states of Georgia and Tennessee were the most affected. (NCDC)

[LibertyBell]

20 minutes ago, donsutherland1 said:

Its final score was 1st (27.7° winter mean temperature and 60.3" of snow). 1995-96 was first in snowfall but second overall, as it was a much warmer winter than 1872-73.

Is there a number as in index to ascribe its severity though (like a winter severity index?) and where does 1917-1918 rank on the list (I thought that was one of our most severe winters) as well as 1933-34?

 

[NittanyWx]

On 12/21/2023 at 5:03 PM, NittanyWx said:

Just a note that the GFS Ens has been posting higher skill scores in the 6-10 at 2m and suspect the EC Ens surface reflections will end up a couple degrees too cold.  Sadly even the GFS Op has had less of a cold bias past 3 weeks. 

 

That said, do believe the base state is changing from December.  Not a great source region still, but not as dire as late Dec. 

The GFS Ens is going to again beat the EC Ens in this post-Christmas period.  Both will end up too cold.