Measurable rain recorded on 11 days during December
By Carl Quintrell, weather correspondent
STANLEY, Jan. 3 — Total rainfall for the month was 3.97 inches, or 1.14 inches above the December average of 2.83 inches. Measurable rain was recorded on 11 days during the month. The 55-year average is nine days.
The wettest December was 1985 with 7.26 inches of rain. The driest occurred in 1981 with only 0.74 inch of rain recorded.
The 2023 rainfall total was 28.00 inches, or 12.7 inches below the 55-year average of 40.17 inches making it the second driest in the past 55 years.
Top Five Driest Years Past 55 Years
1 — 1988 — 27.08 inches of rainfall (-13.23 below average)
2 — 2023 — 28.00 (-12.17)
3 — 1977 — 28.32 (-11.99)
4 — 2001 — 30.30 (-10.01)
5 — 1974 — 31.04 (-9.27)
The only snow for the month was 0.5 inch on Dec. 11. The 55-year average total snowfall for December is 3.9 inches.
Temperatures for the month of December were above average. The average afternoon high temperature for the month was 51 degrees, or 4.2 degrees above the December average high of 46.8 degrees.
High temperatures for December climbed above the 60-degree mark on five days, the 50s on 10 days, the 40s on 15 days and only into the 30s on one day during the month. The high for the month was 66 degrees on Dec. 2.
The warmest December on record was in 2015, where the average afternoon high was 57.4 degrees. The coldest December was in 1989, where the average afternoon high was only 32.6 degrees.
The average daily low temperature for the month was 33.6 degrees or 4.3 degrees above the December average low of 29.3 degrees.
Low temperatures for the month were down into the 20s on 10 days, the 30s on 16 days, the 40s on four days and into the 50s on one day during the month. The low for the month was 20 degrees on Dec. 20.
The peak wind gust for the month was 34 mph recorded on Dec. 18.
One weather record was broken during December 2023:
• Dec. 17 — single day rain of 1.21 inches; previous record of 0.66 inch in 2015.
Other statistics for the month include:
• 16 clear to partly cloudy days (17 avg.)
• 15 cloudy to mostly cloudy days (14 avg.)
• Five days with dew (two avg.)
• 15 days with frost (10 avg.)
• Six days with fog (three avg.)
• No days with a thundershower (zero avg.)
Year-End Statistics for 2023 include:
• Highest Temperature: 98 degrees on July 28
• Lowest Temperature: 10 degrees on Feb. 4
• Average High: 68.2 degrees (55-year Average High 66.1)
• Average Low: 47.1 degrees (55-year Average Low 45.0)
• Mean Temperature: 57.6 degrees (55-year Average 55.6)
• Days 90 degrees or above: 27 (55-year Average 30)
• Days 32 degrees or below: 66 (55-year Average 95)
• Total Rainfall: 28.00 Inches (55-year Average 40.17)
• Rainy Days: 104 (55-year Average 116)
• Total Snowfall: 2.75 Inches (55-year Average 22.3)
• Snow Days: 3 (55-year Average 10)
• Clear Days: 246 (55-year Average 227)
• Cloudy Days: 119 (55-year Average 138)
• Days with Dew: 134 (55-year Average 140)
• Days with Frost: 57 (55-year Average 47)
• Days with Fog: 28 (55-year Average 32)
• Thunderstorm Days: 19 (55-year Average 25)
• Peak Wind Gust: 58 mph on March 31
• Highest Barometer: 30.76 on Dec. 14
• Lowest Barometer: 29.27 on April 30
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