ZCZC ARBCLMDTW CXUS53 KDTW 012243 CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR DETROIT - DECEMBER 2002 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 530 PM EST WED JAN 1 2003 ...DECEMBER OPENS UNUSUALLY COLD ACCOMPANIED BY A SNOWSTORM... ...SECOND HALF OF DECEMBER CONSIDERABLY MILDER THAN FIRST HALF... ...PICTURE PERFECT WHITE CHRISTMAS ACROSS THE REGION... ...17TH DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD... THERE WAS NO CHANGE SEEN IN THE STRONG NORTHWESTERLY FLOW THAT HAS PREVAILED SINCE MID OCTOBER. IN FACT...DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH...A VERY DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PUSHED SOME ARCTIC AIR INTO THE REGION AFTER THE AREA EXPERIENCED ITS FIRST SNOWSTORM. NEARLY SIX INCHES /5.8/ FELL AT DETROIT METRO AIRPORT ON THE 2ND WITH SLIGHTLY LESSER AMOUNTS ELSEWHERE. NEEDLESS TO SAY...DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE EXCEPTIONALLY BAD DURING THE STORM SINCE IT STARTED AT THE MORNING RUSH...AND ENDED DURING THE EVENING RUSH. IN ITS WAKE...THIS SYSTEM CREATED ANOTHER LAKE EFFECT EVENT FOR ST CLAIR COUNTY WITH A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW. UP TO 8 1/2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL NEAR PORT HURON ONCE AGAIN IN THE COMBINATION OF SYNOPTIC/LAKE EFFECT SNOWSTORM. THIS COMING LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER THE FIRST EVENT /NOV 26TH/ WHICH HAD ALREADY DUMPED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SNOW IN A NARROW BAND ALONG/NEAR THE ST CLAIR RIVER. AFTER THE SNOWSTORM...TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO THEIR LOWEST LEVEL OF THE MONTH WITH READINGS INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS...ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO...THE MORNINGS OF THE 3RD/4TH. A LOW OF 3 ABOVE AT METRO AIRPORT SET A NEW RECORD FOR THE 3RD. TEMPERATURES FELL TO ONE BELOW HERE AT THE NWS AT WHITE LAKE ON BOTH MORNINGS. BY THE 7TH...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR DETROIT WAS AT 20.6 OR ABOUT 13 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL FOR EARLY DECEMBER! BY MID MONTH...HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES MODERATED CLOSER TO NORMAL OR EVEN ABOVE WITH HIGHS PUSHING UP INTO THE 30S/40S. PRECIPITATION REMAINED RATHER LIMITED WITH ONLY ABOUT TWO TENTHS OF WATER EQUIVALENT FALLING AS RAIN AND SNOW THROUGH THE 15TH. ALONG WITH WARMER WEATHER FROM MID MONTH ON...PRECIPITATION DID BEGIN TO MAKE MORE OF AN APPEARANCE. ON THE 18-19TH...A MILD SURGE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO PUSHED TEMPERATURES INTO THE 40S AND 50S WHILE 0.70 OF AN INCH OF RAIN FELL. COLDER...YET SEASONABLE WEATHER MOVED BACK IN THE AREA FOR THE CHRISTMAS WEEK. A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY CHRISTMAS EVE INTO CHRISTMAS DAY PROVIDED EXTREME SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN WITH A PICTURE PERFECT WHITE CHRISTMAS. TOTALS GENERALLY RANGED FROM FOUR TO SEVEN INCHES OF GOOD PACKING SNOW. ANOTHER STORM CENTER...PASSING WEST OF THE REGION...DREW MILD AIR NORTH INTO THE AREA NEAR THE CLOSE OF THE MONTH. LIGHT RAIN...DRIZZLE AND FOG MOVED INTO THE AREA ON THE 30TH AS THE WARMER...MOISTURE-LADEN AIR OVERSPREAD THE COLDER...SNOW COVERED GROUND. HIGH TEMPERATURES ROSE INTO THE LOWER 50S LATE ON THE 30TH/EARLY ON THE 31ST...ELIMINATING MUCH OF THE SNOW COVER. THE WEATHER DID COOPERATE...HOWEVER...ON NEW YEAR'S EVE AS A COLD FRONT SWEPT IN DRIER...MORE PLEASANT WEATHER FOR THE FESTIVITIES. WITH THE GENERALLY MILDER WEATHER SEEN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF DECEMBER...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WARMED CONSIDERABLY TO 28.7... OR ONLY ABOUT A DEGREE /-.9/ BELOW NORMAL. WHILE THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL WAS ABOUT HALF THE NORM AND PRODUCED THE 17TH DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD...SNOWFALL STILL CAME IN TWO INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE SNOWFALL REFLECTED THE RATHER BUSY STORM TRACK THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND CLIPPERS THROUGH THE LAKES. .................................................................... ...TEMPERATURES... ...PRECIPITATION... AVERAGE MAXIMUM...........34.9 MONTHLY TOTAL ............ 1.16 AVERAGE MINIMUM ..........22.5 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-1.35 AVERAGE MONTHLY...........28.7 GREATEST IN 24HRS/DATES... 0.55 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-0.9 ON THE 19TH HIGHEST..........53 ON THE 31ST 2002 TOTAL................30.54 LOWEST........... 3 ON THE 4TH DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-2.35 ...HEATING DEGREE DAYS... ...NUMBER OF DAYS WITH... MONTHLY TOTAL..............1119 0.01 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 10 MONTHLY DEPARTURE.......... +20 0.10 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 4 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL.....2404 0.50 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 1 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL...... +4 1.00 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 0 ...COOLING DEGREE DAYS... ...SNOWFALL... MONTHLY TOTAL.......... 0 MONTHLY TOTAL...............13.1 MONTHLY DEPARTURE...... 0 MONTHLY DEPARTURE...........+2.0 2002 SEASON............1061 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL......14.7 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL..+325 DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE......+0.6 (NEW 1971-2000 AVERAGE).....44.0 PEAK GUST - SW 35 MPH/20TH ..................................................................... DECEMBER 2002 CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE...WHITE LAKE MI. ...TEMPERATURE DATA... ...PRECIPITATION DATA... AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 34.0 MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 1.30 AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 19.3 GREATEST IN 24HRS........ 0.56 MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 26.6 ON THE 19TH 2002 TOTAL.............. 24.32 ...HEATING DEGREE DAYS... ...SNOWFALL DATA... MONTHLY TOTAL............1180 MONTHLY TOTAL............12.1 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL...2736 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL...16.6 ...COOLING DEGREE DAYS... MONTHLY TOTAL........... 0 2002 SEASON.............725 DEEDLER NNNNZCZC ARBCLMDTW CXUS53 KDTW 012243 CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR DETROIT - DECEMBER 2002 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 530 PM EST WED JAN 1 2003 ...DECEMBER OPENS UNUSUALLY COLD ACCOMPANIED BY A SNOWSTORM... ...SECOND HALF OF DECEMBER CONSIDERABLY MILDER THAN FIRST HALF... ...PICTURE PERFECT WHITE CHRISTMAS ACROSS THE REGION... ...17TH DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD... THERE WAS NO CHANGE SEEN IN THE STRONG NORTHWESTERLY FLOW THAT HAS PREVAILED SINCE MID OCTOBER. IN FACT...DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH...A VERY DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PUSHED SOME ARCTIC AIR INTO THE REGION AFTER THE AREA EXPERIENCED ITS FIRST SNOWSTORM. NEARLY SIX INCHES /5.8/ FELL AT DETROIT METRO AIRPORT ON THE 2ND WITH SLIGHTLY LESSER AMOUNTS ELSEWHERE. NEEDLESS TO SAY...DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE EXCEPTIONALLY BAD DURING THE STORM SINCE IT STARTED AT THE MORNING RUSH...AND ENDED DURING THE EVENING RUSH. IN ITS WAKE...THIS SYSTEM CREATED ANOTHER LAKE EFFECT EVENT FOR ST CLAIR COUNTY WITH A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW. UP TO 8 1/2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL NEAR PORT HURON ONCE AGAIN IN THE COMBINATION OF SYNOPTIC/LAKE EFFECT SNOWSTORM. THIS COMING LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER THE FIRST EVENT /NOV 26TH/ WHICH HAD ALREADY DUMPED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SNOW IN A NARROW BAND ALONG/NEAR THE ST CLAIR RIVER. AFTER THE SNOWSTORM...TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO THEIR LOWEST LEVEL OF THE MONTH WITH READINGS INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS...ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO...THE MORNINGS OF THE 3RD/4TH. A LOW OF 3 ABOVE AT METRO AIRPORT SET A NEW RECORD FOR THE 3RD. TEMPERATURES FELL TO ONE BELOW HERE AT THE NWS AT WHITE LAKE ON BOTH MORNINGS. BY THE 7TH...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR DETROIT WAS AT 20.6 OR ABOUT 13 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL FOR EARLY DECEMBER! BY MID MONTH...HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES MODERATED CLOSER TO NORMAL OR EVEN ABOVE WITH HIGHS PUSHING UP INTO THE 30S/40S. PRECIPITATION REMAINED RATHER LIMITED WITH ONLY ABOUT TWO TENTHS OF WATER EQUIVALENT FALLING AS RAIN AND SNOW THROUGH THE 15TH. ALONG WITH WARMER WEATHER FROM MID MONTH ON...PRECIPITATION DID BEGIN TO MAKE MORE OF AN APPEARANCE. ON THE 18-19TH...A MILD SURGE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO PUSHED TEMPERATURES INTO THE 40S AND 50S WHILE 0.70 OF AN INCH OF RAIN FELL. COLDER...YET SEASONABLE WEATHER MOVED BACK IN THE AREA FOR THE CHRISTMAS WEEK. A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY CHRISTMAS EVE INTO CHRISTMAS DAY PROVIDED EXTREME SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN WITH A PICTURE PERFECT WHITE CHRISTMAS. TOTALS GENERALLY RANGED FROM FOUR TO SEVEN INCHES OF GOOD PACKING SNOW. ANOTHER STORM CENTER...PASSING WEST OF THE REGION...DREW MILD AIR NORTH INTO THE AREA NEAR THE CLOSE OF THE MONTH. LIGHT RAIN...DRIZZLE AND FOG MOVED INTO THE AREA ON THE 30TH AS THE WARMER...MOISTURE-LADEN AIR OVERSPREAD THE COLDER...SNOW COVERED GROUND. HIGH TEMPERATURES ROSE INTO THE LOWER 50S LATE ON THE 30TH/EARLY ON THE 31ST...ELIMINATING MUCH OF THE SNOW COVER. THE WEATHER DID COOPERATE...HOWEVER...ON NEW YEAR'S EVE AS A COLD FRONT SWEPT IN DRIER...MORE PLEASANT WEATHER FOR THE FESTIVITIES. WITH THE GENERALLY MILDER WEATHER SEEN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF DECEMBER...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WARMED CONSIDERABLY TO 28.7... OR ONLY ABOUT A DEGREE /-.9/ BELOW NORMAL. WHILE THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL WAS ABOUT HALF THE NORM AND PRODUCED THE 17TH DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD...SNOWFALL STILL CAME IN TWO INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE SNOWFALL REFLECTED THE RATHER BUSY STORM TRACK THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND CLIPPERS THROUGH THE LAKES. .................................................................... ...TEMPERATURES... ...PRECIPITATION... AVERAGE MAXIMUM...........34.9 MONTHLY TOTAL ............ 1.16 AVERAGE MINIMUM ..........22.5 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-1.35 AVERAGE MONTHLY...........28.7 GREATEST IN 24HRS/DATES... 0.55 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-0.9 ON THE 19TH HIGHEST..........53 ON THE 31ST 2002 TOTAL................30.54 LOWEST........... 3 ON THE 4TH DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.....-2.35 ...HEATING DEGREE DAYS... ...NUMBER OF DAYS WITH... MONTHLY TOTAL..............1119 0.01 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 10 MONTHLY DEPARTURE.......... +20 0.10 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 4 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL.....2404 0.50 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 1 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL...... +4 1.00 OR MORE PRECIPITATION.. 0 ...COOLING DEGREE DAYS... ...SNOWFALL... MONTHLY TOTAL.......... 0 MONTHLY TOTAL...............13.1 MONTHLY DEPARTURE...... 0 MONTHLY DEPARTURE...........+2.0 2002 SEASON............1061 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL......14.7 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL..+325 DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE......+0.6 (NEW 1971-2000 AVERAGE).....44.0 PEAK GUST - SW 35 MPH/20TH ..................................................................... DECEMBER 2002 CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE...WHITE LAKE MI. ...TEMPERATURE DATA... ...PRECIPITATION DATA... AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 34.0 MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 1.30 AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 19.3 GREATEST IN 24HRS........ 0.56 MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 26.6 ON THE 19TH 2002 TOTAL.............. 24.32 ...HEATING DEGREE DAYS... ...SNOWFALL DATA... MONTHLY TOTAL............1180 MONTHLY TOTAL............12.1 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL...2736 2002-2003 SEASON TOTAL...16.6 ...COOLING DEGREE DAYS... MONTHLY TOTAL........... 0 2002 SEASON.............725 DEEDLER NNNN