NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

DECEMBER 2020

1-5: On the 2-3, a few inches of snow blanketed parts of southern Kansas, northern Oklahoma, and the northern panhandle of Texas. At week’s end on the 5^th, snow fell heavily in northern New England. Earlier, snow had fallen across the eastern Corn Belt and interior Northeast, hampering final corn harvest efforts. Some of the heaviest snow affected northern Ohio on December 1. 

 

Winds began to ramp up across southern California, peaking in many locations before daybreak on December 3. Pre-dawn gusts ranged from 70 to 95 mph in several locations, topping out in San Diego County at 95 mph on Big Black Mountain, north of Ramona, and 93 mph on Sill Hill. In Orange County, CA, the Bond Fire ignited late December 2 in Silverado Canyon, east of Santa Ana, quickly scorching 7,375 acres of vegetation and damaging or destroying nearly four dozen structures. In contrast, early-month snow blanketed portions of the Plains. December 2-3 snowfall totaled 2.6 inches in Dodge City, KS, and 1.3 inches in Amarillo, TX. Unofficial amounts topped a foot, with 14 inches of snow reported in Oklahoma communities such as Buffalo and Gage. Late in the week, the same storm system responsible for the Plains’ snow resulted in another round of heavy precipitation in the East. Record setting precipitation amounts for December 5 reached 3.04 inches in Salisbury, MD; 2.02 inches in Richmond, VA; 1.99 inches in Portland, ME; and 1.97 inches in Worcester, MA. Worcester also received 9.6 inches of snow on the 5th, a record for the date. December 5-6 snowfall in Caribou, ME, totaled 13.8 inches. At the height of the storm on December 5, peak wind gusts in Massachusetts included 58 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory and 56 mph in Plymouth. Meanwhile in Virginia, Lynchburg achieved an annual precipitation record, with 65.99 inches through December 5; the previous record of 65.70 inches had been set in 2018. In early December, stormy weather and record-setting warmth engulfed southeastern Alaska, triggering several landslides near the community of Haines.

 

6-12: Farther west, a storm system arriving in the Southwest generated some gusty winds across southern California and produced beneficial precipitation in the Southwest. In southern California, a wind gust to 72 mph was recorded on the 7th on Big Black Mountain. Two days later, a 110-day dry spell (August 21 – December 8) ended in Phoenix, AZ, where rainfall on December 9-10 totaled 0.45 inch. Measurable precipitation has fallen on just 15 days this year in Phoenix, shy of the annual record of 18 days in 1953 and 2002. Later, precipitation associated with the same storm system developed across the nation’s mid-section. On December 11-12, Grand Island, NE, received 6.4 inches of snow. On those dates, snowfall totaled 6 to 10 inches in several other Midwestern locations, including Dubuque, IA (9.4 inches), and Madison, WI (6.4 inches). On the 12th, Alpena, MI, attained daily records for snowfall (13.7 inches) and precipitation (1.03 inches). Elsewhere in Michigan, record-setting precipitation totals for December 12 included 1.56 inches in Grand Rapids and 1.47 inches in Holland.

 

13-19: Periods of stormy weather affected the South, East, and Northwest, while generally dry weather covered the Southwest, northern Plains, and upper Midwest. On December 16-17, the most significant and widespread snowfall of the season blanketed the Northeast, affecting major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, as well as many interior locations. Record-setting snowfall totals (locally 1 to 3 feet or more) buried large sections of New York and Pennsylvania, as well as portions of neighboring states. Meanwhile, rain (locally 1 to 2 inches or more) hampered final harvest efforts in the South, especially in parts of North Carolina and Virginia. However, rain in the lower Mississippi Valley reversed a recent drying trend. In the Northwest, occasional precipitation boosted soil moisture and chipped away at long-term drought. Rain and snow showers briefly pushed as far south as central California and parts of the Great Basin. As the week begin, snow blanketed portions of the central and southern Plains. In Kansas, December 13 snowfall totaled 1.9 inches in Goodland and 1.2 inches in Wichita. Daily-record snowfall amounts for the 13th included 3.4 inches in Oklahoma City, OK, and 3.0 inches in Dalhart, TX. On the same date but elsewhere in Texas, Houston’s Hobby Airport netted a daily-record rainfall of 2.65 inches. Parts of the West also received early-week precipitation; Stockton, CA, collected a daily-record total of 0.83 inch on December 13. The following day, heavy rain swept into the East, where daily-record rainfall totals for December 14 included 1.58 inches in Richmond, VA, and 1.18 inches in London, KY. Two days later, an historic snowstorm engulfed the Northeast. On December 16-17, Binghamton, NY, received a staggering 40.0 inches of snow. Previously, Binghamton’s highest 2-day snowfall had been 35.3 inches on March 14- 15, 2017. Williamsport, PA, also set a 2-day snowfall record, with 24.7 inches (previously, 24.1 inches on January 12-13, 1964). Consecutive daily snowfall records were broken on December 16-17 in locations such as Binghamton (13.6 and 26.4 inches, respectively); Williamsport (13.7 and 11.0 inches); Newark, NJ (5.5 and 5.9 inches); and New York’s JFK Airport (3.8 and 3.4 inches). With a 9.3-inch total on the 16th, Harrisburg, PA, experienced its snowiest December day since December 23, 1963, when 10.1 inches fell. On December 17, daily-record snowfall topped a foot in Albany, NY (19.7 inches), and Boston, MA (12.3 inches). December 16-17 official snowfall totals included 22.9 inches in Albany; 12.7 inches in Boston; 10.5 inches in New York’s Central Park; and 6.6 inches in Philadelphia. Binghamton set a record for any date with a 39- inch snow depth at daybreak on December 17; the previous standard had been 35 inches on March 15, 1993. Farther west, a new Pacific storm system delivered daily-record precipitation amounts on December 17 in Jerome, ID (0.55 inch), and Winnemucca, NV (0.37 inches). Logan, UT, received 4.0 inches of snow in a 24-hour period on December 17-18. On the 18th, Quillayute, WA, measured a daily-record rainfall of 2.40 inches. Meanwhile, record-breaking dry spells finally ended in Las Vegas, NV, and Bishop, CA. In Las Vegas, where rainfall totaled 0.04 inch on December 17, measurable rain did not fall for 240 consecutive days (April 21 – December 16). The previous record of 150 days had been set from February 22 – July 21, 1959. A similar streak in Bishop, CA, had ended days earlier at 239 days (April 18 – December 12), when rainfall on December 13 totaled 0.01 inch.

 

20-26: Precipitation mostly fell late in the week, when a storm system crossing the northern U.S. delivered precipitation in the Northwest before inducing blizzard conditions on December 23 in the upper Midwest. A low-pressure system developing along the storm’s trailing cold front contributed to heavy rain (and rain changing to snow) in the East on December 24-25. 

 

The week’s first round of significant precipitation reached western Washington on December 21, when daily-record totals included 1.82 inches in Bellingham and 1.64 inches in Seattle. On December 22, a dailyrecord snowfall of 3.5 inches was reported at Montana’s Holter Dam. Blizzard conditions developed on December 23 across portions of the north-central U.S. In South Dakota, wind gusts ranged from 62 to 68 mph while snowfall totaled 1 to 3 inches in locations such as Aberdeen, Huron, Sisseton, and Sioux Falls. Elsewhere on the 23rd, wind gusts were clocked to 79 mph in Rapid City, SD; 71 mph in Estherville, IA; and 68 mph in Alliance, NE. Heavy snow fell in portions of the upper Great Lakes States, where Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, netted a daily-record total (8.7 inches) for December 23. The following day, Christmas Eve, heavy rain erupted across the East. Record-setting rainfall totals for December 24 included 2.21 inches in Williamsport, PA; 1.94 inches in Wilmington, DE; and 1.76 inches in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Binghamton, NY, which had received 40.0 inches of snow on December 16-17, netted consecutive daily-record precipitation totals (1.55 and 0.80 inches, respectively) on December 24-25. Meanwhile, December 24-25 snowfall totaled 17.3 inches in Erie, PA; 12.8 inches in South Bend, IN; 9.5 inches in Cleveland, OH; 9.0 inches in Jackson, KY; and 7.0 inches in Huntington, WV. In New England, Christmas Day precipitation totals were the highest on record in locations such as Providence, RI (2.95 inches); Worcester, MA (2.81 inches); and Hartford, CT (2.12 inches). By December 26, the Susquehanna River at Marietta, PA, crested 0.61 foot above flood stage—the highest level in that location since July 2018. Snow squalls lingered downwind of the Great Lakes through December 26, when Buffalo, NY, set daily records for snowfall (18.4 inches) and precipitation (1.48 inches). Mild weather continued across southern Alaska, while the remainder of the state (except the northern tier) experienced the return of above-normal temperatures. King Salmon reported a reading of 41°F (not a record for the date) on the 21st and experienced high temperatures above the freezing mark each day from December 21-25.

 

27-31: A quiet start to the week was followed by stormy weather as 2020 ended, especially in the Pacific Northwest and across the eastern half of the country. Significant snow fell in several areas, stretching from the southern Plains into the Corn Belt, although only light precipitation affected the High Plains and far upper Midwest. Meanwhile, soaking rain (2 to 4 inches or more) fell from eastern Texas into parts of the Ohio Valley. A separate area of heavy rain drenched portions of the southern Atlantic States, hampering final harvest efforts and leading to local flooding.  . In the West, beneficial precipitation briefly spread as far south as southern California. Some other drought affected areas of the western U.S. also received spotty rain and snow showers. However, consequential precipitation was limited to the Pacific Northwest, where multiple disturbances moved ashore. 

 

Early in the week, a disturbance crossing the West delivered dailyrecord precipitation totals for December 28 to Colorado Springs, CO (0.33 inch), and Eureka, NV (0.15 inches). Colorado Springs also received 2.8 inches of snow. By December 29, much heavier precipitation (rain and snow) erupted across the nation’s midsection, where daily-record totals topped an inch in Moline, IL (1.34 inches); Topeka, KS (1.21 inches); and Kansas City, MO (1.19 inches). On the same date, more than one-half foot of snow fell, setting records for the 29th, in Des Moines, IA (9.6 inches); Norfolk, NE (7.5 inches); and Lincoln, NE (6.5 inches). A second wave of precipitation quickly followed the first. December 30-31 precipitation reached 1.70 inches in Tulsa, OK, and 1.45 inches in Wichita Falls, TX. In Texas, New Year’s Eve featured daily-record snowfall totals of 3.5 inches in Midland, 2.6 inches in Abilene, and 1.7 inches in San Angelo. Meanwhile, heavy rain erupted across eastern Texas and spread northeastward. Record-setting rainfall totals for December 31 included 3.75 inches in Shreveport, LA; 2.88 inches in Texarkana, AR; and 2.12 inches in Longview, TX. A separate area of rain near the East Coast set New Year’s Eve records for wetness in New Bern, NC (1.70 inches), and North Myrtle Beach, SC (1.29 inches). By January 2, Southeastern daily-record totals reached 4.22 inches in Valdosta, GA, and 3.53 inches in Tallahassee, FL. Farther west, heavy snow lingered into New Year’s Day across the central and southern Plains, where record-setting amounts for January 1 included 6.5 inches in Wichita, KS, and 5.1 inches in Oklahoma City, OK. For Wichita, it was the snowiest day since February 4, 2014, when 8.7 inches fell, and the snowiest January day since January 27, 2000, when 6.7 inches fell. Elsewhere, 2020 ended amid widespread Northwestern precipitation; in Washington, Spokane reported a daily-record snowfall of 8.1 inches on December 31. Quillayute, WA, noted a monthly rainfall sum of 17.64 inches (136 percent of normal), aided by totals in excess of an inch on December 7, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26, and 30. The Northwestern precipitation persisted into 2021, as daily-record totals in Washington for January 2 included 2.77 inches in Quillayute and 2.72 inches in Hoquiam.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com