Weather Extremes

For the week of Dec. 9 through 15, there were an incredible 293 weather records tied or broken. Most of the extremes were observed in the Southeast northeastward into the Ohio Valley as record heat plagued this region last week. There were 227 warm records, 11 cold records, 30 precipitation extremes, and 18 snowfall records either broken or tied.

Although the calendar says December, highs climbed into the 80s across eastern Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi and other states. On Dec. 9, Harlingen, Texas, reported a record high of 88 degrees. Temperatures in normally cool Alexandria, Va., soared to a record 83 degrees Dec. 10. It was 82 degrees at Montgomery, Ala., on the 12th as well. Florence, S.C., reported a record 80 degrees on Dec. 11. Beachgoers loved the extremes in Florida, as Daytona Beach hit a record 84 degrees Saturday.

Despite the warmth, some spots experienced record lows last week. On Saturday, Laramie, Wyo., plunged to -21 degrees. On the same day, Marquette, Mich., dropped to -10 degrees. On Dec. 11, Boundary Dam, Wash., dipped to a record 1 degree. The Seattle Weather Service Office reported a record low of 27 degrees on Dec. 9.

As the frigid air to the north collided with the record warmth to the south, severe ice, rain and snow hit the Midwest eastward into New England last week. On Dec. 10, Oklahoma City received 1.79 inches of moisture which led to several inches of hazardous ice. Topeka, Kan., had 1.98 inches of moisture and ice on the 11th. On Thursday, Boston received 10.1 inches of snow. More than 8 inches was seen in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday.