ZCZC ARBCLMFNT
CXUS53 KDTX 032058

CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR FLINT - DECEMBER 2001
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI         
400 PM EDT THU JAN 3 2002

                 ...A TALE OF THREE DECEMBERS...
...3RD WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AFTER 2ND COLDEST DECEMBER LAST YEAR...
...WARMEST DAY EVER RECORDED IN DECEMBER IN FLINT...
...UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER HITS THE ROAD IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS... 
...FIRST THREE WEEKS OF THE MONTH AVERAGES 11 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL... 

WHILE THIS WINTER'S WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO BE DOMINATED BY AN 
OVERALL NEUTRAL PATTERN (ABSENT LA NINA OR EL NINO)...LATEST INDICATIONS 
FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER ARE THAT THIS PAST DECEMBER'S CLIMATE
PATTERN OVER THE PACIFIC AND THE U.S. ACTUALLY...IN SOME WAYS...RESEMBLED 
A WEAK LA NINA. THIS WAS A RESULT OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC SEA SURFACE 
TEMPERATURES AVERAGING A BIT BELOW NORMAL DURING DECEMBER WHILE IN THE 
STATE OF FLUCTUATION AROUND NORMAL (OR NEUTRAL).

DECEMBER OF 1998 WAS THE LAST TIME LA NINA DOMINATED OUR DECEMBER 
CLIMATE PATTERN AND THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO DECEMBERS DO 
STAND OUT. LIKE THIS PAST DECEMBER WITH A TEMPERATURE DEPARTURE OF 
+6.9...DECEMBER OF 1998 WAS ALSO UNUSUALLY MILD WITH THE TEMPERATURE 
AVERAGING 5.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. BOTH DECEMBERS CONTAINED BELOW 
NORMAL SNOW BUT DECEMBER OF 1998 HAD EVEN LESS WITH JUST 3.4 INCHES 
/-6.2/ AS COMPARED TO 8.1 /-1.5/ THIS DECEMBER. IN BOTH YEARS...THE 
DECEMBERS STARTED OUT ACTUALLY WARM WITH RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES. 
RECORD HIGHS OF 63/66 WERE SET ON DECEMBER 5TH AND 6TH 1998...
RESPECTIVELY. THAT RECORD HIGH OF 63 WAS SUPERSEDED BY AN INCREDIBLE 
70 DEGREE READING THIS PAST DECEMBER ON THE 5TH. NOT ONLY DID THAT 70 
DEGREE READING ESTABLISH A DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD...IT ALSO 
WAS THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN FLINT IN THE MONTH OF 
DECEMBER AND THEREFORE...SO LATE IN THE YEAR. ON THE FOLLOWING DAY /6TH/...
A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 64 JUST MISSED THE 1998 RECORD /66/ BY TWO DEGREES.

THE UNSEASONABLY MILD WEATHER PERSISTED RIGHT THROUGH THE FIRST THREE
WEEKS (THROUGH THE 23RD) OF DECEMBER. IN FACT...THROUGH THE 23RD...
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED NEARLY 11 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 27.2. THIS 
DECEMBER'S MONTHLY DEPARTURE OF +6.9 (3RD WARMEST DECEMBER) COMES ON 
THE HEELS OF NOVEMBER'S +7.2 (2ND WARMEST NOVEMBER). UP IN THE SAGINAW 
AREA...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 33.7 FOR DECEMBER WAS A HUGE 7 1/2 
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 4TH WARMEST DECEMBER SINCE 1900. SNOWFALL 
AT TRI-CITIES AIRPORT FOR DECEMBER WAS...HOWEVER...A RESPECTABLE 9 INCHES. 
CONTRAST THAT WITH LAST DECEMBER'S (2000) WEATHER AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE A 
YEAR MAKES! DECEMBER OF 2000 WAS THE WORST DECEMBER IN RECORDED HISTORY 
(SINCE 1942) IN THE FLINT AND (1900) IN THE SAGINAW AREA WHEN COMBINING 
BOTH SNOW AND COLD. SNOWFALLS OF 2 1/2 TO 3 1/2 FEET WERE COMMONPLACE 
ALONG WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING 16 1/2 TO 17 1/2 DEGREES.  

A QUICK...MINI-SNOWSTORM DID MANAGE TO SNEAK THROUGH DURING ALL THE MILD 
WEATHER IN EARLY-MID DECEMBER ON THE 14TH. THE STORM BROUGHT GENERALLY 
1 TO 3 1/2 INCHES OF SNOW WITH FLINT RECEIVING 3.1 AND SAGINAW 1.3 INCHES. 
A SHARP REVERSAL IN THE JET STREAM AFTER THE 23RD DID BRING MUCH COLDER AIR
AND EVEN BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION. A STRONG COLD TROUGH OF 
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY AND DELIVERED 
THE POLAR AIR. AFTER THE POLAR BLAST LATE ON THE 23RD UNTIL THE 31ST... 
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED ABOUT THREE DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AND LIGHT SNOW FELL 
ON A DAILY BASIS IN TIME FOR THE CHRISTMAS WEEK. GENERALLY AN INCH OR TWO 
OF SNOW WAS ON THE GROUND FOR CHRISTMAS...PROVIDING A WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR 
MUCH OF THE REGION. 
.......................................................................

...TEMPERATURES...                   ...PRECIPITATION...
AVERAGE MAXIMUM ........... 40.1     MONTHLY TOTAL ............ 1.79           
AVERAGE MINIMUM ........... 28.0     DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....- .32                  
AVERAGE MONTHLY ........... 34.1     GREATEST IN 24HRS/DATES...  .91             
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL ..... +6.9                      ON THE 14-15TH
HIGHEST.......70 ON THE  5TH         2001 TOTAL............... 35.88   
LOWEST........12 ON THE 30TH         DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... +5.60 

...HEATING DEGREE DAYS...            ...NUMBER OF DAYS WITH... 
MONTHLY TOTAL.............. 950      0.01 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 20
MONTHLY DEPARTURE..........-222      0.10 OR MORE PRECIPITATION..  4
2000-2001 SEASON SO FAR....2168      0.50 OR MORE PRECIPITATION..  1  
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL......-413      1.00 OR MORE PRECIPITATION..  0
 
...COOLING DEGREE DAYS...            ...SNOWFALL...
MONTHLY TOTAL..........   0          MONTHLY TOTAL..............  8.1
MONTHLY DEPARTURE......   0          MONTHLY DEPARTURE...........-1.5
2001 SEASON SO FAR..... 620          2001-2002 SEASON TOTAL...... 8.1
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL..+137          DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE......-5.5
                                     (SEASON AVERAGE)............45.1 
PEAK GUST - WEST 39 MPH/6TH                       
  (LAST OF TWO OCCURRENCES)
.....................................................................

DECEMBER 2001 CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR: 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE...WHITE LAKE MI.

...TEMPERATURE DATA...           ...PRECIPITATION DATA...
AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 39.3         MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 1.81        
AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 27.7         GREATEST IN 24HRS....... 0.43      
MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 33.5                        ON THE 16-17TH                                                                                              
                                 2001 TOTAL............. 37.01  

...HEATING DEGREE DAYS...        ...SNOWFALL DATA...
MONTHLY TOTAL............ 968    MONTHLY TOTAL............  8.1   
2001-2002 SEASON TOTAL...2246    2001-2002 SEASON TOTAL...  8.1

...COOLING DEGREE DAYS...
MONTHLY TOTAL...........    0
2001 SEASON.............  547 

DEEDLER








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