Winter has arrived! At least meteorologically speaking. While winter officially arrives on December 21st, meteorological winter runs from December 1st through the end of February. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, breaking the season down this way makes it easier to calculate and compare seasonal averages and extremes.
No matter which way you look at it, December is here and it's time to see what kind of weather is likely to come our way.
The official outlook from the Climate Prediction Center favors above-average temperatures not just across Central Indiana, but really across most of the US.
As we know with these outlooks, there are going to be exceptions with shots of cold air. We also have to keep in mind what the average is during December in the Hoosier State. Our average high drops from the mid-40s on the first to the middle and upper 30s by the end of the month. So, even an above-average temperature trend is likely to feel rather cool.
The month of December can certainly pack in a lot of snow. Two of the top five snowiest December in Indianapolis have produced more than 20 inches of snow. That's basically a season's worth of snow in one month!
Our average December snowfall makes its first significant jump since March. We average more than six inches of snow during the month. This year, the Climate Prediction Center outlook for precipitation places most of Indiana in the Equal Chances category. This really means there's no strong weather signal leaning in any one direction. We'll have to rely on more short-term trends when it comes to rain and snowfall. We are keeping our eyes on a system that may bring some snow accumulation by the early to the middle part of next week.
