CINCINNATI -- The weather in December of 2015 has been odd.
It's a statement you can't argue with, whether you've witnessed it yourself while walking outside or by diving into the statistics. For 68 percent of the month, temperatures were above 50°F, a temperature that is above normal no matter what day you pick in December! Here's a look at how unique this month has truly been in Cincinnati.
Records set and tied
Cincinnati saw three record setting high temperatures this month.
- December 12 - New record high of 70°F
- December 23 - Tied record high of 66°F
- December 26 - Tied record high of 64°F
Just by looking at our daytime highs, we knew this month was unique. Our warmest day of the month was December 12th at 70°F. But you can also look at the average daily temperature to get a better idea of how warm we've run all month long. Currently, December 2015 is ranked third warmest on record!
- #1. 48.2° in 1889
- #2. 47.6° in 1877
- #3. 47.0° in 2015
El Nino
El Nino has been the force behind this odd weather pattern. It has left the eastern half of the country incredibly mild for the month of December. We expected this month to be warmer and rainy and it hasn't disappointed.
Speaking of rain, Cincinnati has received 6.09" of rain this month, near 3" above normal. This makes it the eighth wettest December on record.
El Nino also led to a unusual month of November which ended as the ninth warmest on record for Cincinnati.
No Snow
It comes as no surprise that we haven't had much snow this month, especially when every single day had a high above 32°F, the freezing mark. There have only been a handful of days where we saw a few flurries and a "trace" amount of snow. But a "trace" of snow is not considered measurable snow, according to the National Weather Service.
