997
CXUS51 KBUF 051325
CLMROC
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
247 PM EST THU JAN 01 2026
...............................
..THE ROCHESTER NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2025
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2025
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
............................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 72 12/03/1982
LOW -16 12/20/1942
HIGHEST 55 12/18 63 12/29
LOWEST 4 12/08 0 12/23
AVG. MAXIMUM 34.9 38.5 -3.6 39.0
AVG. MINIMUM 19.5 25.4 -5.9 26.6
MEAN 27.2 32.0 -4.8 32.8
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 15 9.3 5.7 8
DAYS MIN <= 32 31 24.8 6.2 20
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 1
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.17 1878
MINIMUM 0.62 1958
TOTALS 3.12 2.67 0.45 2.48
DAYS >= .01 18 22
DAYS >= .10 12 9
DAYS >= .50 1 1
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.83 12/28 TO 12/29 0.51 12/09 TO 12/09
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 46.5 2010
TOTALS 37.8 22.3 15.5 21.2
SINCE 7/1 44.8 30.5 14.3 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 2
DAYS >= 1.0 11 6.4 4.6 MM
DAYS >= 0.1 21 MM
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 4 12/12 6 12/22
12/27
12/28
24 HR TOTAL MM MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1160 1024 136 989
SINCE 7/1 2438 2265 173 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 687 676 11 MM
............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.6
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/260
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 62/270 DATE 12/19
62/270 12/29
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.87
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 0
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 4
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 27
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 73
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 6 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 4 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 8 SNOW 10
LIGHT SNOW 27 SLEET 1
FOG 20 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 4
HAZE 4
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
.. COLD AND PERSISTENT SNOW FOR DECEMBER
DECEMBER WAS AN ACTIVE AND COLD MONTH WITH A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF
ARCTIC AIR OVER WESTERN NEW YORK THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE
MONTH. THIS BROUGHT DAY TO DAY LIGHT SYNOPTIC SNOW AND LAKE EFFECT
SNOW EVENTS WITH NORTHWEST FLOW DRIVING THE LAKE SNOWS SOUTH OF
BUFFALO MUCH OF THE TIME. A PATTERN CHANGE MID-MONTH BROUGHT DAYS OF
ABOVE NORMAL WARMTH AS WELL AS A PERIOD OF SLOW SNOWPACK ABLATION.
SEVERAL SYNOPTIC SYSTEMS THE FINAL 10 DAYS OF THE MONTH BROUGHT
LOCALIZED BANDS OF MODERATE SNOW TO WESTERN NEW YORK, WITH A SLEET
AND FREEZING RAIN EVENT OCCURRING THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. BEHIND A
STRONG COLD FRONT, THE FINAL THREE DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE WINDY WITH
LAKE EFFECT SNOW FLYING.
THE TEMPERATURE THIS MONTH AVERAGED 27.2°F WHICH IS 4.8F DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE 2017, WHICH WAS
ALSO THE LAST DECEMBER TO FEATURE A MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE BELOW
NORMAL. THERE WERE 20 DAYS AVERAGING BELOW THEIR DAILY NORMAL
TEMPERATURE, WHILE JUST 10 SUCH DAYS AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE
MONTH. EVERY DAY FEATURED FREEZING OR LOWER TEMPERATURES, JUST THE
7TH OCCURRENCE OF SUCH A FEAT IN ROCHESTER'S RECORDED HISTORY. THERE
WAS NO EXTREME COLDNESS THIS MONTH, WITH THE 26 DAYS DIPPING DOWN TO
25 DEGREES OR LOWER 9 DAYS MORE THAN THE LONG-TERM DECEMBER AVERAGE.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 3.12 INCHES FOR THE MONTH WHICH IS ABOUT A
HALF AN INCH ABOVE NORMAL. IN TOTAL FOR THE YEAR PRECIPITATION
TALLIED JUST TWO INCHES SHY OF NORMAL. THE WETTEST DAY OCCURRED
DURING A PERIOD OF RAIN, WITH 0.71 INCHES MEASURED AT THE AIRPORT.
THERE WERE JUST THREE DAYS THAT RECORDED NO PRECIPITATION, INCLUDING
THE 17TH AND 18TH OF THE MONTH. SNOW TOTALED 37.8 INCHES WHICH MAKES
THIS DECEMBER THE 10TH SNOWIEST MONTH ON RECORD. THE 21 DAYS WITH
MEASURABLE SNOW IS TIED FOR 7TH GREATEST ON RECORD, TRAILING THE
RECORD OF 23 DAYS SET BACK IN 1989.
A PERSISTENT FLOW OF COLD AIR STARTED DECEMBER, WITH WEAK DAY TO DAY
SYSTEMS YIELDING MINOR SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. FOUR OF
THE FIRST TEN MORNINGS SAW SINGLE DIGIT LOW TEMPERATURES IN
ROCHESTER. SOON THEREAFTER A MORE AMPLIFIED PATTERN EMERGED ACROSS
NORTH AMERICA WITH A LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN
US, AND DEEP TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN US. THIS BROUGHT A PERSISTENT
FLOW OF ARCTIC AIR THAT BROUGHT AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF LAKE EFFECT
SNOW FROM THE 11TH THROUGH THE 16TH, WITH 3 SEPARATE LAKE EFFECT
SNOW EVENTS DOWNWIND OF LAKE ERIE, AND AT TIMES SOUTH OF LAKE
ONTARIO THROUGH THIS TIME PERIOD. A MILD STRETCH BEGAN THEREAFTER,
WITH THE AMPLIFIED PATTERN BECOMING MORE ZONAL, AND ALLOWING FOR
SOME OF THE WESTERN WARMTH TO PUSH EASTWARD. THOUGH NOT EXTREME IT
DID ABLATE THE SNOWPACK AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT BY THE MORNING
HOURS OF THE 19TH, AND WHAT LITTLE SNOW THAT DID FALL THE WEEK
BEFORE CHRISTMAS JUST ABOUT ALL MELTED BEFORE CHRISTMAS MORNING.
AHEAD OF A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE, A PLUME OF PACIFIC MOISTURE
BROUGHT A PERIOD OF RAIN TO WESTERN NEW YORK ON SUNDAY THE 28TH.
THIS SWELLED CREEKS AND RIVERS TO NEAR BANKFUL. A COLD FRONT PLOWED
ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 29TH, WITH WINDS HOWLING TO 62 MPH
BEHIND THE FRONT MONDAY EARLY AFTERNOON. THE ONSET OF A DEEP COLD
AIRMASS TRIGGERED ANOTHER LONG-LASTING LAKE EFFECT SNOW BANDS OFF
BOTH LAKES ERIE AND ONTARIO. ON PRIMARILY A WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW
THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW PILED UP ALONG THE SOUTHERN SHORELINE OF LAKE
ONTARIO. OVER HALF A FOOT OF SNOW FALLING THE FINAL DAY OF THE MONTH
SLOWED THE EVENING ROCHESTER COMMUTE.
THE TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ONTARIO DIPPED TO 37°F OVER MOST OF THE
SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. WINDS AVERAGED WELL ABOVE NORMAL, IN PART
DUE TO A VERY WINDY END OF THE MONTH, WITH THE 11.6 MPH AVERAGE MORE
THAN ONE AND A HALF MILES PER HOUR ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE
WINDIEST DECEMBER SINCE AT LEAST 2007. THERE WERE THREE DAYS THAT
MEASURED GUSTS ABOVE 50 MPH, WITH THE STRONGEST GUSTS OCCURRING ON
THE 19TH AND AGAIN ON THE 29TH AT 62 MPH.
IN ALL AN ACTIVE MONTH, WITH PERIODS OF COLD AND SNOW THROUGHOUT THE
MONTH.
THOMAS
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