NATIONAL STORM SUMMAY
DECEMBER 2019

1-7: The cold weather in the Northeast occurred in conjunction with a major snowstorm. Early-December snowfall in parts of the Northeast totaled 1 to 2 feet or more. Farther south, however, short-term drought continued to affect parts of Florida. Most
other areas in the East experienced generally light precipitation. Elsewhere, stormy weather returned across the West, especially late in the week. Some of the heaviest precipitation, which included high-elevation snow, fell in northern and central
California. Despite some Northwestern precipitation, snowpack remained less than 50 percent of the early-December average across portions of Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho.
From December 1-3, an impressive, early-season snowstorm unfolded across the Northeast. Three-day snowfall totals reached 22.6 inches in Albany, NY; 20.8 inches in Manchester, NH; 17.0 inches in Worcester, MA; and 16.5 inches in Hartford, CT. Closer
to the Atlantic Coast, snowfall included 8.6 inches in Portland, ME; 7.1 inches in Boston, MA; 5.5 inches in Providence, RI; and 1.6 inches in New York’s Central Park. For Albany, where the 22.6-inch snowfall represented the greatest single-storm
total since March 1993, snow fell continuously for more than 39 hours. Albany also reported consecutive daily-record totals (13.3 and 6.8 inches, respectively) on December 1-2. Other daily-record snowfall amounts included 8.9 inches (on December 1) in
Worcester; 9.6 inches (on December 2) in Binghamton, NY; and 4.8 inches (on December 3) in Boston. Downwind of the Great Lakes, precipitation persisted through mid-week; Buffalo, NY, netted a daily-record precipitation total of 1.13 inches (4.5 inches
of snow) on December 4. Meanwhile, precipitation overspread the West on December 4, when daily record totals included 1.27 inches in Paso Robles, CA, and 0.81 inch in Tonopah, NV. During the first 8 days of December, precipitation in Paso Robles
totaled 3.19 inches (818 percent of normal). At week’s end, another round of rain and snow arrived in California. Record-setting precipitation amounts for December 7 in northern California totaled 2.72 inches in Redding and 2.22 inches in Mount
Shasta City. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, Blue Canyon, CA, netted precipitation totaling 8.50 inches from December 1-8.

8-14: Multiple storms delivered widespread precipitation to numerous regions, with the highest totals reported in the East and Northwest. In fact, weekly precipitation totaled 2 to 4 inches or more in the Southeast (from Georgia to the Carolinas) and
along the northern Atlantic Coast. Elsewhere, mild Western weather was accompanied by frequent rain and snow showers. Precipitation was especially beneficial in the Northwest, where high-elevation snowpack has been accumulating at a slower-than-average
pace. Early-week precipitation fell in several regions, including the West, Midwest, and Northeast. On December 8, Paso Robles, CA, netted a daily-record rainfall total of 0.89 inch. The following day, record-setting amounts for December 9 included 0.
88 inch in Pittsburgh, PA, and 0.59 inch in Traverse City, MI. On December 10, rain changed to snow in parts of the South, where Huntsville, AL, collected a daily-record snowfall of 0.7 inch. Mid-Atlantic snow on December 11 resulted in daily-record
totals in locations such as Bridgeport, CT (2.4 inches), and Islip, NY (1.9 inches). After mid-week, periods of snow affected the North, while heavy rain soaked the Southeast. Duluth, MN, reported a daily record snowfall (4.1 inches) on December 12,
boosting its season to-date total to 48.2 inches—more than twice normal. Meanwhile, the 12th was the wettest December day on record in Vero Beach, FL, where 4.49 inches fell. Previously, Vero Beach had received a maximum daily sum of 2.80 inches on
December 10, 2011. Elsewhere in Florida, the 12th was the second-wettest December day in Melbourne (3.71 inches) and third-wettest December day in Fort Pierce (3.64 inches). Late in the week, heavy rain spread northward through the Atlantic Coast
States., while precipitation returned across the West. Record-setting totals for December 13 reached 4.16 inches in Columbia, SC; 3.11 inches in Macon, GA; and 2.22 inches in Fayetteville, NC. For Columbia, it was the wettest December day on record (
previously, 3.27 inches on December 3, 1927). On the 14th, Portland, ME, experienced its third-wettest December day, with a total of 3.40 inches. Portland had reported 3.50-inch amounts on December 4, 1990, and December 18, 2012. Farther west,
Laketown, UT, received 7.5 inches of snow in a 24-hour period on December 13-14.

Dec. 15-21: Heavy rain, totaling 2 inches or more in many locations from the Tennessee Valley southward to the Gulf Coast, accompanied the early-week thunderstorms. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation also developed in the Pacific Northwest, sparking
generally minor flooding west of the Washington Cascades. The Northwestern storminess provided a slight boost to high-elevation snowpack, but season-to-date accumulations remained well below normal in many river basins. In contrast, generally dry
weather prevailed from southern California to the southern Plains, and from the northern Plains into the upper Midwest. Elsewhere, a late-week storm delivered the early stages of another round of Southern rainfall. Record-setting snowfall totals for
December 15 included 4.3 inches in Indianapolis, IN; 3.8 inches in Alamosa, CO; and 3.3 inches in Kansas City, MO. From December 15-17, storm-total snowfall in Indianapolis reached 7.6 inches. On December 16, several dozen tornadoes struck Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama, based on preliminary reports. In Louisiana, the nation’s first deadly tornado since May 27 carved a 62-mile path, up to 400 yards wide, across Beauregard, Vernon (one fatality), and Rapides Parishes from roughly DeRidder to
Pineville, including the Alexandria area. On the 16th, Alexandria reported 1.91 inches of rain and a peak wind gust to 50 mph. Later in the day,
a tornado cut across nearly 19 miles of Limestone and Lawrence Counties in northern Alabama, resulting in two fatalities in the latter county. Meanwhile in West Virginia, record-setting rainfall totals for December 16 included 1.61 inches in Charleston
and 1.51 inches in Parkersburg. On December 17, a few more tornadoes were spotted across southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia. In the Atlantic Coast States, daily-record rainfall amounts for the 17th reached 1.08 inches in Augusta, GA, and 1.03
inches in Newark, NJ. As Northeastern rain made a transition to snow showers, Newark netted a daily-record snowfall (1.0 inch) for December 18. Farther west, December 19-21 rainfall topped the 5inch mark in western Washington locations such as Olympia (
5.53 inches) and Seattle (5.40 inches). December 20 was particularly wet, with 2.87 inches in Olympia and 3.25 inches in Seattle. Other daily record amounts for the 20th were 3.42 inches in Astoria, OR, and 2.35 inches in Hoquiam, WA. At week’s end,
precipitation began to shift southward along the Pacific Coast, while a new storm system developed across the Deep South. Record-setting rainfall amounts for December 21 included 2.49 inches in Crescent City, CA, and 0.35 inch in Harlingen, TX.

22-28: The week began with an impressive storm system soaking the Southeast and ended with another major storm crossing southern California, the Southwest, and the central Plains. In contrast, mild, mostly dry weather prevailed in the Northeast, the
southern half of Texas, and the northern High Plains. A late-week storm, which produced widespread rain and snow. In addition, an extensive snow cover remained in place— as it has for the entire month—in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and the northern half
of Wisconsin. Across the central and southern Plains, the late December storm provided local relief in areas experiencing drought. However, some drought-affected areas in the southern half of Texas received little or no rain. Significant precipitation
also bypassed the Northwest, where snowpack ranged from 25 to 75 percent of the late December average in most river basins across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Elsewhere, substantial rain and high elevation snow swept across the southern California and
the Southwest, especially during the second half of the week. As the week began, record-setting rains fell along the southern Atlantic Coast. The 22nd was the wettest December and winter day on record at St. Simons Island, GA, where 4.01 inches fell.
Previous records had been 3.27 inches on December 15, 1997, and 3.92 inches on February 18, 1981, respectively. Key West, FL, received 5.48 inches of rain on the 22nd, representing the second-wettest December day in that location behind 6.66 inches on
December 8, 1986. Drenching rainfall continued into December 23, when Fort Lauderdale, FL, experienced its wettest December day (7.13 inches; previously, 6.62 inches on December 17, 2009. Daily-record amounts for December 23 included 2.76 inches in
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC; 2.60 inches in Miami, FL; and 2.11 inches in Savannah, GA. Savannah collected 4.71 inches from December 22-24. In South Carolina, downtown Charleston received exactly 6 inches of rain and (on December 23) clocked a peak wind
gust to 48 mph. Meanwhile, locally heavy showers developed across southern California, where Long Beach measured a daily-record total (1.28 inches) for December 23. Snow fell farther inland, where snowfall in Utah totaled 6.1 inches in Hanksville and 5.
2 inches in Panguitch in a 48-hour period from December 23-25. From December 24-26, heavy snow also fell in western Montana. With a 13-inch depth on the 26th, the airport in Dillon, MT, reported its deepest snow since February 15, 1949. Starting on
Christmas Day, a larger area of stormy weather arrived in southern California and the Southwest. Long Beach again received more than an inch of rain on December 25 and 26, boosting its 4-day total to 3.45 inches. Elsewhere in southern California, daily-
record totals for December 26 included 1.76 inches in Barstow-Daggett; 1.65 inches in Ontario; 1.57 inches in Lancaster; and 1.45 inches in Fullerton. It was Barstow-Daggett’s third wettest day on record, behind 2.28 inches on September 10, 1978, and
2.06 inches on August 7, 1958. San Diego, CA, reported winds to 45 mph on December 26— the highest gust in that location since February 14. Farther east, Flagstaff, AZ, reported measurable snow on 6 consecutive days from December 23-28, totaling 19.9
inches. At week’s end, heavy precipitation erupted across the nation’s mid-section. The 28th was the wettest December day on record in Sioux City, IA (1.38 inches; previously, 1.14 inches on December 9, 1899), and the second-wettest December day in
Lincoln, NE (2.12 inches; behind only 2.13 inches on December 15, 1984). Daily-record amounts for December 28 reached 1.84 inches in Topeka, KS; 1.76 inches in Omaha, NE; and 1.50 inches in Kansas City, MO. Ulysses, KS, received storm-total
precipitation of 1.09 inches, nearly twice the 0.55 inch that fell from September 1 – December 26. In South Dakota, a multi-day (December 28-30) snow event dumped 15.0 inches in Mitchell, 10.1 inches in Aberdeen, and 10.0 inches in Watertown.
Elsewhere, 3-day snowfall reached 12.3 inches in Fargo, ND, and 8.8 inches in International Falls, MN.

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