December Temperature Outlook - First Half Warm, Second Half Cold

There are strong indications that the first week of December will end up warmer than normal, thanks to a flow of relatively mild Pacific air across the United States. In fact, highs on Monday, December 3rd could approach record territory.

Record High Temperatures for December 3rd

By the middle of the month, the flow across North America is expected to change as a pool of arctic air over Alaska dives down into the eastern half of the U.S.
  • Just how cold is that air? For reference, on November 28th, Fairbanks, AK had a high temperature of 21 below zero - almost 30 degrees below their normal!
  • It's too early to say how cold the air will be when it reaches our area.

While the temperatures are still warmer than normal, now is a good time to prepare for more winter-like conditions. 

 Forecast Weekly Temperature Departures from Normal for December of 2012*
December 1-7
Average Temperature Departures through December 5th
December 8-14
December 7-13 Average Temperature Departures
December 14-20
December 13-19 Average Temperature Departures
December 21-27
December 13-19 Average Temperature Departures

* Graphics above are from
NCEP's CFS version 2 model

Red & browns indicates warmer-than-normal
Blue & greens indicates colder-than-normal

 



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