NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

 

DECEMBER 2022

 

4-10: Western storminess continued to boost high-elevation snowpack, especially in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada. By December 11, the average water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack topped 11 inches (more than 220 percent of average for the date), up from around 3 inches at the beginning of the month. Across the interior Northwest, snow helped to moisten and insulate winter grains. Meanwhile, large sections of the nation’s mid-section received little or no precipitation, although beneficial snow briefly blanketed parts of the northern Plains.

 

Snow continued to blanket (and protect) winter grains in portions of the Northwest. Spokane, WA, received snowfall totaling 3.6 and 5.0 inches, respectively, on December 8 and 10, with a peak snow depth of 14 inches by the morning of the 11th. Later, a narrow band of beneficial snow fell in drought-affected areas of the northcentral U.S. Valentine, NE, reported a daily-record snowfall (7.0 inches, which melted to 0.71 inch of liquid) on November 8. The following day, 5.2 inches fell in Rochester, MN, a record for December 9. Meanwhile, season-to-date snowfall at the Central Sierra Snow Lab at Donner Pass, CA, climbed to more than 150 inches by week’s end, up from 56.5 inches at the end of November. At the height of the late-week storminess, frequent wind gusts above 100 mph were noted in the Sierra Nevada, while a gust to 88 mph was clocked on the 10th on Loma Prieta, the highest peak in central California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. Farther east, early-week showers led to daily-record precipitation totals in locations such as Huntsville, AL (2.23 inches), and Bluefield, WV (1.25 inches). By December 7 in Maine, Houlton and Caribou each received 1.43 inches, setting daily records in both communities. At week’s end, rain developed across the southeastern Plains and spread eastward, resulting in a dailyrecord rainfall (1.37 inches on December 10) in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.

 

11-17: Western storminess waned, following a remarkable first half of December that added approximately 8 inches to the water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The Sierra Nevada’s season-to-date accumulation, more than 11 inches of snow-water equivalency, was more than twice the mid-December normal—but barely 40 percent of the typical accrual during an entire winter wet season. Farther east, the north-central U.S. was hammered by a blizzard, which caused travel disruptions and stressed livestock in a multi-state area stretching from northeastern Colorado to the Dakotas. Snow later spread across the Great Lakes region and into the Northeast, while rain fell in the southern Corn Belt. Meanwhile, a severe weather outbreak along the storm’s trailing cold front struck the South, peaking on December 13-14 and spawning several dozen tornadoes from northeastern Texas to Florida and southern Georgia. The South also contended with briefly heavy rain and local flooding, with many locations reporting more than 2 inches of rain.

 

Duluth also weathered a major winter storm from December 13-17, with 30.3 inches of snow and winds gusting as high as 48 mph. That storm system dominated the mid- to late-week period from the Plains eastward, following some lingering impacts in the West. On December 11, daily-record rainfall amounts in southern California totaled 1.21 inches in Burbank and 0.89 inch in Bishop, while Ely, NV, noted record-setting totals for precipitation (0.35 inch) and snowfall (4.3 inches). Meanwhile, snow fell on December 11 in the Northeast, where daily-record totals reached 6.6 inches in Albany, NY, and 5.6 inches in Hartford, CT. Starting on the 13th, rapidly deteriorating weather conditions were observed across the north-central U.S., with many locations meeting the criteria for a blizzard. Daily-record snowfall totals topped the 10-inch mark on December 13 in Bismarck, ND (10.4 inches), and Valentine, NE (10.3 inches). From December 13-16, Bismarck received 20.6 inches of snow and clocked a peak northwesterly wind gust (on the 15th) to 52 mph. Similarly, Valentine reported a 4-day snowfall of 13.0 inches and a peak gust (on the 15th) to 63 mph. Gusts also topped 60 mph on December 15 in Broken Bow, NE, and Philip and Pierre, SD. Pierre’s December 13-16 snowfall reached 16.5 inches. Meanwhile, heavy rain developed Paducah, KY. On the same date, more than three dozen tornadoes were spotted from northeastern Texas to the Mississippi Delta, based on preliminary reports. A similar number of tornadoes occurred on December 14, mainly from the lower Mississippi Valley to western Florida. Two EF2 tornadoes in Louisiana—one in Caddo Parish on the 13th and one in Saint Charles Parish on the 14th—resulted in a total of three fatalities. Heavy rain accompanied the severe weather, with 2- to 4-inch totals setting daily rainfall records for December 14 in locations such as Tuscaloosa, AL (2.41 inches) and Lake Charles, LA (2.48 inches). Significant rain extended into the Midwest, where daily-record totals on the 14th approached the 2-inch mark in Illinois locations such as Lincoln (1.91 inches) and Springfield (1.58 inches). By December 15, Eastern dailyrecord totals topped the 2-inch mark at Salisbury, MD (2.24 inches); Cape Hatteras, NC (2.23 inches); Richmond, VA (2.11 inches); and Wilmington, DE (2.03 inches). Heavy, wet snow blanketed parts of the Great Lakes and Northeastern States; on December 15, Rhinelander, WI, reported daily records for precipitation (1.06 inches, a mix of snow and freezing rain) and snow (7.1 inches). From December 16-18, Bangor, ME, received its first measurable snow of the month—a sum of 10.3 inches—aided by a daily-record total of 6.4 inches on the middle date of the event.

 

18-24: A pre-holiday storm traversing the central Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes region delivered blizzard conditions on multiple days. In most areas, snowfall was relatively light, but travel conditions were complicated by sharply falling temperatures and high winds, which reduced visibilities due to blowing and drifting snow. Harsh conditions were observed downwind of the Great Lakes, where snow was heavier. Meanwhile, heavy rain preceded and accompanied the storm system in parts of the South and East. Some of the heaviest rain (locally 1 to 4 inches or more) fell in the middle and northern Atlantic States, especially across New England. Even northern Maine received mostly rain or freezing rain (on December 23) before turning colder.

 

Heavy rain fell early in the week in parts of the Deep South. On December 19-20, rainfall topped the 2-inch mark in Alexandria, LA (2.51 inches), and McComb, MS (2.24 inches). Key West, FL, netted a record-setting total (2.70 inches) for December 20. By the 21st, snow overspread portions of the Plains and Midwest. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, received a dailyrecord snowfall of 7.4 inches on the 21st, followed by 2 calendar days (December 22-23) with temperatures remaining below 0°F and winds gusting as high as 45 mph. In Chicago, IL, where major airport delays developed, only 1.3 inches of snow fell (on the 22nd), but westerly winds gusted as high as 50 mph (on the 23rd). Much heavier snow blanketed areas downwind of the Great Lakes. In Michigan, for example, December 22-25 snowfall totaled 39.1 inches in Sault Sainte Marie and 24.5 inches in Grand Rapids. Gaylord, MI, received 16.8 inches on December 23— the second-snowiest day in that location behind only 17.0 inches on March 9, 1942. Buffalo, NY, was buried by 22.3 inches of snow on December 23, the first day of a 4-day winter barrage that featured 50.3 inches of snow and winds gusting as high as 72 mph. Along the Atlantic Coast, heavy rain—in some cases mixed with wintry precipitation—preceded the cold blast. Record-setting rainfall totals for December 22 included 2.02 inches in Lynchburg, VA, and 1.45 inches in Harrisburg, PA. In New York, record-setting precipitation totals for December 23 included 2.03 inches in Poughkeepsie and 1.59 inches in Albany. Meanwhile, freezing rain glazed parts of the Northwest, mainly on December 23. Portland, OR, received snowfall totaling 0.1 inch on the 23rd before seeing a change to freezing rain; a transition to rain finally occurred on December 24. Quillayute, WA, reported a daily-record rainfall total of 2.57 inches on the 24th.

 

25-31: A pair of late-December storm systems moved ashore in the West, delivering heavy precipitation in the Pacific Coast States and significant snow from the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the western slopes of the Rockies. Weekly precipitation totals in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills locally totaled 4 to 12 inches or more, with an average of more than 5 inches of liquid equivalency being added to the Sierra Nevada snowpack during the final week of December. Farther east, mostly dry weather prevailed across the nation’s mid-section, although light snow and blowing snow continued to cause rural travel disruptions across parts of the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Meanwhile, variable rainfall occurred along and east of a line from eastern Texas to southeastern Michigan. Some of the heaviest rain, locally 2 to 4 inches or more, fell in the central Gulf Coast region and parts of the mid-South.

 

An historic Great Lake-effect snow event lingered as the week began. In Buffalo, NY, 51.9 inches of snow fell from December 23-27, although only 11.7 inches fell from Christmas Day onward. Similarly, Sault Sainte Marie, MI, received 49.3 inches from December 22-28, aided by a dailyrecord snowfall of 10.9 inches on Christmas Day. By December 26, significant storminess returned to the Pacific Coast, where record-setting rainfall totals included 2.50 inches in Hillsboro, OR, and 1.91 inches in Eureka, CA. During the last 6 days of December, Blue Canyon, CA, received precipitation totaling 16.28 inches, with more than 90 percent of that amount occurring on December 27, 30, and 31. Blue Canyon’srainfall of 7.21 inches on the 30th was a record for the date. Downtown San Francisco, CA, endured its second-wettest day on record (5.46 inches on December 31), behind only 5.54 inches on November 5, 1994. San Francisco’s wettest calendar day in December had been December 19, 1866, with 4.28 inches. Elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay area, the Oakland Museum recorded its wettest day in the last 5 decades, with the 4.75-inch total on December 31 edging the standard of 4.74 inches, originally set on January 4, 1982. Farther inland, Reno, NV, was hammered by 2.26 inches of precipitation (and 9.0 inches of snow) on December 31. The only other days in Reno’s history featuring more than 2 inches of precipitation were December 23, 1955, with 2.02 inches; January 21, 1943, with 2.29 inches; and January 28, 1903, with 2.71 inches. In Utah, Alta received December snowfall totaling 135.9 inches (170 percent of normal), boosted by a 24-hour total of 23.0 inches on December 27-28. As precipitation exited the West on December 28-29, a narrow band of snow crossing the central Plains delivered 7.1 inches to Denver, CO. Farther east, December 29-30 rainfall topped the 2-inch mark in locations such as Shreveport, LA (2.78 inches), and Longview, TX (2.19 inches). At week’s end, locally heavy Eastern showers resulted in record-setting precipitation totals for December 31 in Elizabeth City, NC (1.36 inches), and Atlantic City, NJ (1.02 inches).

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