December 2016 Saint Cloud Weather Summary
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Up-And-Down December Finishes 6th Warmest Year
December 2016 St. Cloud Weather Summary
Jekyll and Hyde Temperatures End Up Warmer Than Average
December 2016 broke the string of well-above average months seen through the fall. The month averaged 17.5 degrees, 1.6 degrees above the average. However, the month was a pair of mild periods surrounding a mid-December cold wave. The first 6 days of December were warmer than average, with three days at least 10 degrees warmer than average.
That was followed by a cold outbreak December 10-19 with 7 days at least 10 degrees below average. On December 18, the temperature remained colder than zero all day, the third such day in 2016. While the December 18 low temperature hit -28, it did not break a record. That -28 was, however, the coldest temperature seen in St. Cloud since January 21, 2011.
A late December warm spell produced 11 of the last 12 days with temperatures at least 10 degrees above average. Readings were warm enough to produce a Christmas Day ice and rain storm across central and southern Minnesota with some thunderstorms thrown in. The high for December was 41 degrees, set at 2 AM on December 26. This system did end up producing a huge snowstorm in northwestern Minnesota and North Dakota that stopped traffic for 2 days.
The warmer than average December finished off a 2016 that tied for the 6th warmest year in St. Cloud records ( see below).
The frequent precipitation seen during much of 2016 continued in December. The melted precipitation total was 1.58 inches, 0.76 inch above average. Nearly half of that precipitation fell during the freezing rain and thunderstorms of December 25 and 26. There were two other mainly snowstorms that deposited 4.5 inches on St. Cloud on December 10-12 and 3.3 inches on December 15-17. The December 10-12 storm dumped 8-10 inches of snow in a swath of southern Minnesota between Benson, Marshall, St. Peter and Winona.
However, it was the frequent precipitation with 10 days of measurable precipitation that helped to lead to a near record in 2016 precipitation freqent (see below)
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(December 2016 Summary) |
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Temperatures (°F)
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December 2016
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Normal
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| December Average High Temperature (°F) |
24.5
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24.7
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| December Average Low Temperature (°F) |
10.4
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7.1
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| Mean Temperature for December (°F) |
17.6
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15.9
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December Extremes |
Temperature(°F)
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Date
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| Warmest High Temperature for December 2016 (°F) |
41
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December 26
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| Coldest High Temperature for December 2016 (°F) |
-5
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December 18
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| Warmest Low Temperature for December 2016 (°F) |
30
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December 1,24,25
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| Coldest Low Temperature for December 2016 (°F) |
-28
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December 18
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Record Temperatures in December 2016
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Temperature(°F)
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Date
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Old Record
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| No temperatures records set | |||
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Temperature Thresholds
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Number of Days
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Normal
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| December 2016 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F |
19
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23.5
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| December 2016 Days with High Temperatures <= 0°F |
1
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1.0
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| December 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F |
31
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25.7
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| December 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F |
1
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9.9
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| December 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F |
0
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0.9
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Melted Precipitation (in)
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December 2016
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Normal
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December 2016 Melted Precipitation (in)
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1.58
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0.82
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Precipitation Thresholds
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Number of Days
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Normal
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| December 2016 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation |
13
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6.6
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| December 2016 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation |
3
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2.0
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| December 2016 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation |
1
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0.7
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| December 2016 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation |
1
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0.1
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| December 2016 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation |
0
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0.0
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December Extremes
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Precipitation (in)
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Date
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Most Daily Precipitation in December 2016
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0.74 inch
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December 25
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Record Precipitation in December 2016
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Precipitation (in)
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Date
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Old Record
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No records set
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Snowfall (in)
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December 2016
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Normal
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December 2016 Saint Cloud Airport Snowfall (in)
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8.8
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10.5
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| 2016-2017 Seasonal Snowfall (1 Oct 2016 - 31 Dec 2016) |
16.1
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20.1
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Snowfall Thresholds
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Number of Days
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Normal
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| December 2016 Days with Measurable (>= 0.1 inch) Snowfall |
10
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8.3
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| December 2016 Days with >= 1.0 inch Snowfall |
2
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3.2
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| December 2016 Days with >= 2.0 inch Snowfall |
2
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1.6
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| December 2016 Days with >= 5.0 inch Snowfall |
0
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0.2
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December Extremes
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Snowfall (in)
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Date
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Most Daily Snowfall in December 2016
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3.0
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December 11
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Record Snowfall in December 2016
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Snowfall (in)
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Date
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Old Record
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No records set
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(December 2016 Summary) |
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Mild Early Months, Fall Fuel Top 10 Finish in Temperature
2016 Annual Saint Cloud Weather Summary
2016 tied for 6th Warmest in St. Cloud Records
The St. Cloud average temperature in 2016 was 45.9 degrees, 3.0 degrees warmer than average. That put the 2016 average temperature in a tie with 1900 and 2006 for the 6th warmest in St. Cloud history. In fact, 6 of the 12 warmest years have taken place during our streak of mild winters since 1997.
The warmth was fueled by the mildness of winter (2015-2016: 8th warmest), a near average spring, a summer that was only about a degree warmer than average, and a very warm fall, topped by the 2nd warmest November on record.
There were 6 days with a high of at least 90 degrees, more than the previous two years combined and the 93 degree high on July 22 was the warmest high seen in St. Cloud since July 21, 2014. On the other hand, December 18 was one of only three days during which the temperature stayed at or below zero all day. It was also the only day with a low temperature of -20 or colder. This used to be a relatively frequent marker of a true arctic outbreak, but the -20 lows are getting quite rare during our milder winters.
Near Record Frequency of Precipitation
The total precipitation in St. Cloud was 33.85 inches, 6.12 inches above average and the 17th wettest year in St. Cloud records. However, there were 136 days with measurable precipitation in 2016, 1 day short of the record set in 1951 and 1977.
Two major precipitation events produced a huge percentage of the rain. The 4.08 inches of rain on August 29 was the 8th heaviest single storm precipitation in St. Cloud records. On July 10 and 11, the St. Cloud Airport picked up 3.64 inches of rain, the 12th heaviest rainfall in St. Cloud records. That was a glancing part of the storm that dumped 7-9 inches of rain over Pine County and produced three tornadoes just to our south.
Nearly Half the Average Snowfall
Snowfall totaled 32.5 inches, 13.6 inches below average.
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(December 2016 Summary) |
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Temperatures (°F)
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2016
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Average
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| Average High Temperature (°F) |
54.4
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53.7
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| Average Low Temperature (°F) |
36.6
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32.1
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| Mean Temperature for 2016 (°F) |
45.9#
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42.9
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| # 6th(tie) warmest year | ||
| 2016 Temperature Thresholds |
2016
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Average
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| Warm Season | ||
| 2016 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F |
6
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11.4
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| 2016 Days with High Temperature >= 100°F |
0
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0.5
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| 2016 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F |
0
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3.0
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| 2016 Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F |
0
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0.47
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| Growing Season (Consecutive Days with Low Temp>= 32°F) |
144
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137
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| Cold Season | ||
| 2016 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F |
69
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87.7
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| 2016 Days with High Temperatures <= 0°F |
3
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4.3
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| 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F |
153
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170.4
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| 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F |
21
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42.5
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| 2016 Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F |
1
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5.4
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Liquid Equivalent Precipitation (in)
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2016
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1981-2010 Average
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2016 Total Precipitation (in)
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33.85
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27.71
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| Precipitation Thresholds |
2016
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1896-2016 Average
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| 2016 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation |
136$
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97.3
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| 2016 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation |
59
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52.9
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| 2016 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation |
41
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32.1
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| 2016 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation |
13
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16.8
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| 2016 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation |
6
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5.5
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| $ 3rd highest total of days with measurable precipitation | ||
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Snowfall (in)
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2016
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1981-2010 Average
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2016 Total Snowfall
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32.5
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46.1
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| Precipitation Thresholds |
2016
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1904-2016 Average
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| 2016 Total Days with Measurable (>= 0.1 inch) Snowfall |
39
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32.5
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| 2016 Total Days with >= 1.0 inch Snowfall |
12
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14.0
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| 2016 Total Days with >= 2.0 inch Snowfall |
5
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7.6
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| 2016 Total Days with >= 5.0 inch Snowfall |
0
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1.5
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(December 2016 Summary) |
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Temperature (°F)
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Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2016 |
| Average High Temperature | 80.1 | 71.0 | 58.3 | 49.5 | 24.5 | 54.4 |
| Average Low Temperature | 58.5 | 52.3 | 39.6 | 30.6 | 10.4 | 36.6 |
| Mean Temperature | 69.3 | 61.7 | 48.9 | 40.0 | 17.5 | 45.9 |
| Departure from Normal | +1.5 | +3.1 | +3.2 | +9.6 | +1.6 | +3.0 |
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Precipitation (in)
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Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2016 |
| Liquid Precipitation | 8.36 | 3.08 | 2.68 | 1.69 | 1.58 | 33.85 |
| Departure from Normal | +4.57 | -0.38 | +0.19 | +0.31 | +0.76 | +6.12 |
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Snowfall (in)
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Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2016 |
| Snowfall | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 8.8 | 32.5 |
| Departure from Normal | - | - | - 0.7 | - 1.6 | - 1.7 | - 13.6 |
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(7 days with >= 100°F)
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Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu