December 13, 2023 Active Pattern
California and Florida ready for a drenching
December 2023 was the warmest December in the 131-year national record (1895–2025), at 39.8°F against a 1991–2020 normal of 34.3°F (+5.4°F).
December 2023 was the 49th-wettest December in the 131-year national record (1895–2025), at 2.6in against a 1991–2020 normal of 2.5in (+0.1in).
NOAA/NCEI Climate at a Glance, contiguous United States. This is the observed record for the month, not a score of anything said in this piece — the forecast ledger begins 2026-08-17 and cannot reach earlier posts.
The model forecast (ECMWF 12Z) for the next 10-days gets us to the weekend before Christmas. The good news for travelers is that the nation’s weather looks quiet and very warm heading through next week.
The main story is the strong area of low pressure developing in the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, drenching Florida, and then cruising up the Eastern Seaboard. This is an almost entirely heavy rain and gusty wind event, and definitely not what’s usually seen in mid-December. However, the Arctic is shut off from delivering cold air into the Lower 48 necessary to generate a blizzard.
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- 157 · laid 2023-12-14T00:07:05.862000Z
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