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Warm December, Mild 2021

dec tdpt map

December average temperatures ranged from near normal in parts of Maine to more than 8°F above normal in parts of West Virginia.

The last month of 2021 was a warm one across the Northeast, with December average temperatures ranging from near normal in parts of Maine to more than 8°F above normal in parts of West Virginia. This December ranked among the 20 warmest on record for all 35 major climate sites, with average temperatures ranging from 1.5°F above normal in Caribou, ME, to 8.9°F above normal in Huntington, WV.

dec temp chart

This December ranked among the 20 warmest on record for all 35 major climate sites.

2021 tdpt map

Average temperatures for 2021 ranged from near normal to more than 3°F above normal.

Annual average temperatures in the Northeast ranged from near normal to more than 3°F above normal. 2021 was the warmest year on record for five major climate sites - Erie and Harrisburg, PA; Boston, MA; Newark, NJ; and Providence, RI - and ranked among the five warmest for another 22 of the major climate sites. Average temperatures for the year ranged from 0.2°F above normal in Allentown, PA, to 3.5°F above normal in Syracuse, NY.

2021 temp chart

Five major climate sites recorded their warmest year on record, with another 22 sites having one of their five warmest years on record.

dec pdpt map

December precipitation ranged from less than 25% normal to 200% of normal.

December was a drier-than-normal month for many parts of the Northeast, with the driest spots in parts of southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, central Maryland, and eastern West Virginia seeing less than 25% of normal precipitation. However, a few locations such as western Pennsylvania were wetter, seeing as much as 200% of normal precipitation. Thirty-two of the 35 major climate sites received below-normal precipitation, with 17 of them ranking this December among their 20 driest on record. Overall, December precipitation ranged from 14% of normal at Dulles Airport, VA, to 121% of normal in Pittsburgh, PA. Below-normal precipitation caused drought and abnormal dryness to persist in northern New England and expand in southern parts of the region.

dec precip chart

Seventeen major climate sites ranked this December among their 20 driest on record.

2021 pdpt map

2021 precipitation ranged from 50% of normal to 150% of normal.

Annual precipitation varied in the Northeast, ranging from 50% of normal to 150% of normal. Of the 35 major climate sites, 20 experienced a wetter-than-normal year with 11 of those ranking 2021 among their 20 wettest years on record. Conversely, of the 14 drier-than-normal sites, two ranked this year among their 11 driest.

2021 precip chart

2021 ranked among the 20 wettest years on record at 11 major climate sites but among the 20 driest at two major climate sites.

dec sdpt map

December snowfall ranged from more than 12 inches below normal to near normal.

With above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, snowfall was lacking in December, with the largest deficits exceeding 12 inches. Snowfall at the 35 major climate sites ranged from 24.2 inches below normal in Erie, PA, to 1.7 inches below normal in Washington, D.C., with this December ranking among the 20 least snowy on record for 15 of the sites.

dec snow chart

Fifteen major climate sites had one of their 20 least snowy Decembers on record.