822
CXUS51 KBUF 051324
CLMBUF
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
247 PM EST THU JAN 01 2026
...............................
..THE BUFFALO 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 74 12/03/1982
LOW -10 12/25/1980
HIGHEST 56 12/29 61 12/29
LOWEST 6 12/09 3 12/22
AVG. MAXIMUM 34.7 37.2 -2.5 38.8
AVG. MINIMUM 20.0 25.6 -5.6 27.1
MEAN 27.4 31.4 -4.0 33.0
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 15 10.0 5.0 8
DAYS MIN <= 32 31 24.0 7.0 21
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 8.71 1990
MINIMUM 0.69 1943
TOTALS 3.86 3.75 0.11 3.85
DAYS >= .01 17 21
DAYS >= .10 12 13
DAYS >= .50 2 2
DAYS >= 1.00 1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.31 12/28 TO 12/29 0.78 12/29 TO 12/29
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 82.7 2001
TOTALS 25.2 25.3 -0.1 22.0
SINCE 7/1 34.7 34.0 0.7
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 2
DAYS >= 1.0 10 6.0 4.0 6
DAYS >= 0.1 14 10
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 7 12/16 8 12/06
24 HR TOTAL MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1159 1042 117 984
SINCE 7/1 2341 2313 28 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 716 607 109 MM
............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 12.6
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 48/230
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 79/220 DATE 12/29
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 1
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 7
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 23
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 73
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 6 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 5 SNOW 9
LIGHT SNOW 24 SLEET 1
FOG 20 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 4
HAZE 5
- 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 27.4°F WHICH IS 4 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL. THIS IS THE COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE 2017, WHICH WAS ALSO THE
LAST DECEMBER TO FEATURE A MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE BELOW NORMAL.
THE FIRST 16 DAYS ALL AVERAGED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURE WHICH WHEN
COMBINED WITH THE FINAL FOUR COLD DAYS OF NOVEMBER, THE 20
CONSECUTIVE DAYS FEATURING BELOW NORMAL DAILY TEMPERATURES IS THE
LONGEST STRETCH SINCE FEBRUARY OF 2015. EVERY DAY FEATURED FREEZING
OR LOWER TEMPERATURES, JUST THE 7TH OCCURRENCE OF SUCH A FEAT IN
BUFFALO'S RECORDED HISTORY. THERE WAS NO EXTREME COLDNESS THIS
MONTH, WITH THE 12 NIGHTS DIPPING INTO THE TEENS THREE DAYS GREATER
THAN THE AIRPORT NORMAL.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 3.86 INCHES FOR THE MONTH. THIS IS SLIGHTLY
HIGHER THAN NORMAL, AND WAS JUST THE SECOND MONTH THIS YEAR TO
FEATURE ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. IN TOTAL FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR,
THE 31.74 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION RANKS 5TH DRIEST IN AIRPORT
RECORDS, AND DRIEST IN 61 YEARS. DESPITE A COLD MONTH, SNOWFALL
AVERAGED JUST BELOW NORMAL, COMING IN AT A TENTH OF AN INCH BELOW
THE NORMAL OF 25.3 INCHES. THE NUMBER OF DAYS FEATURING MEASURABLE
SNOWFALL (14) WAS ONE DAY GREATER THAN NORMAL (13 DAYS), AND THE
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH AN INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND (21 DAYS) IS 6
DAYS GREATER THAN NORMAL (15 DAYS).
A PERSISTENT FLOW OF COLD AIR STARTED DECEMBER, WITH WEAK DAY TO DAY
SYSTEMS YIELDING MINOR SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. THREE
OF THE FIRST 10 MORNINGS SAW SINGLE DIGIT LOW TEMPERATURES IN
BUFFALO. 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 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 BUFFALO AIRPORT
BY THE MORNING HOURS OF THE 19TH, AND WHAT LITTLE SNOW THAT DID FALL
THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS 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 79 MPH
BEHIND THE FRONT MONDAY LATE MORNING. THESE STRONG WINDS BROUGHT A
SEICHE ON LAKE ERIE TO ALMOST 8 FEET, WITH A LIKELY LOW LAKE WATER
LEVEL KEEPING THE WORST OF THE SEICHE IN CHECK. THE ONSET OF A DEEP
COLD AIRMASS STARTED A LONG-LASTING LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT THAT
STARTED THE 29TH OF THE MONTH AND CONTINUED ON INTO THE BEGINNING OF
THE NEW YEAR. ON PRIMARILY A WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW THE LAKE EFFECT
SNOW PILED UP WELL SOUTH OF BUFFALO, AND ALSO ALONG THE SOUTHERN
SHORELINE OF LAKE ONTARIO. WINDS DID BACK TO SOUTHWESTERLY THE FINAL
DAY OF THE MONTH, SENDING A PLUME OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW ACROSS BUFFALO
WITH JUST OVER HALF A FOOT MEASURED AT THE AIRPORT. THIS BAND OF
SNOW SNARLED TRAFFIC THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS, JUST
BEFORE THE YEAR ENDED.
THE TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ERIE DID NOT STRAY MUCH FROM THE TYPICAL
DAILY AVERAGE CURVE, WITH THE WATER TEMPERATURE FALLING FROM 43°F AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH TO 35°F BY THE END OF DECEMBER. WINDS
AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL, IN PART DUE TO A VERY WINDY END OF THE MONTH.
THERE WERE FOUR DAYS THAT MEASURED GUSTS ABOVE 50 MPH, WITH THE
STRONGEST GUST OCCURRING ON THE 29TH AT 79 MPH. THIS IS TIED FOR
THIRD STRONGEST GUST IN BUFFALO AIRPORT HISTORY, TRAILING THE
STRONGEST GUST BY JUST 3 MPH, WHICH OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 16TH 1967.
IN ALL AN ACTIVE MONTH, WITH PERIODS OF COLD AND SNOW THROUGHOUT THE
MONTH.
THOMAS
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