Good Wednesday evening everybody. Temps hit the 60s across the state for the second time this December and it got me thinking about how common this is. The numbers show it’s actually a very common occurrence here in Kentucky.
Let’s use Lexington for our case study.
– 23 of the past 30 Decembers featured temps hitting 60 or greater.
– Some of the great all time winters had MULTIPLE days of 60s in December.
– 1976 hit the 60s on the 19th and dropped to 2 degrees by New Year’s Day and -12 in mid January.
– 1977 featured 60s into mid December (8 total 60+ days across Ky). January and February turned brutally cold and snowy and are among the harshest winter months ever.
– 1984 recorded 13 days in the 60s and 3 in the 70s. January and February went into the tank. Highs did not get above 40 degrees for 39 straight days with severe cold shots thrown in for good measure. How about a -18 in Lexington during that stretch! Oh yeah… this same period had plenty of snow and topped off with a snowstorm that dropped over a foot of snow for some.
– 1995 saw temps above 60 into mid December. Many of you will remember the crippling snowstorm that hit 3 weeks later in early January. This was followed by frequent snows and temps dipping below 0 on more than one occasion.
Each of the past 3 winters that were colder and snowier than normal featured multiple days in the 60s in December.
Now… I’m not saying we are heading toward a repeat of any of those winters. What I am saying is you simply cannot use mild temps in December as a reason to write off winter as there is NO correlation with how the rest of winter unfolds.
Does that make you guys feel any better? 
The short term weather features no big changes into the upcoming weekend. Rain arrives tonight into Thursday with some areas getting more than an inch of water. An overrunning rain arrives for Friday and may feature a light mix on it’s northern flank with readings in the 30s. A chilly weekend may feature a passing flurry Saturday night with highs in the upper 30s and low 40s.
The models are still trying to figure out what to do with the storm for the middle of next week. The European Model is on the rain to light snow train…
It’s also on the Cold and possibly snowy train for Christmas Eve…
Have a great evening and I hope you enjoyed the groovy 60s, man! Take care.
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First, and like this update! Bring on the SNOW!
Not trying to be the nail in the tire, but, last December had ONE day in the 60s and that happened on New Year’s Eve. 😉 The rest of the month was brutal. There were only three days that passed 40, and one that passed 50 aside from New Year’s Eve.
For the most part December seems mild which is fine wth me because I dont want to use up our cold weather allowaance before winter gets started. What worries me is the moisture tap turning of as soon as we get the cold air in here. Below freezing temps and adequate moisture for a decent snowfall do not go together in central KY.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Chris! I remember the winters of 76-77. When it started snowing, we were in the sweet spot for snow for about 6 weeks. Didn’t see the bare ground for a month in one stretch. Sure was beautiful. I would love to see just one big snow like those again!
Maybe we can move the 60s train on out of here and get on the Polar Express before long! But first, we must swim. 😉 Have a great evening!