December's Weather- 1st: Officials closed schools in a half dozen western North Carolina counties where 3 to 8" of snow fell. About 40 flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida were grounded because of bad weather in other parts of the country.4th: The temperature fell to 5 below zero just before midnight setting a new record Low for Denver, CO.
- 5th: Lake Effect snow in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and western New York caused numerous traffic accidents with snow from a few inches to a foot.
- 7th: While Portland and Bangor, Maine were getting less than an inch of snow, some parts of eastern Maine got hit by more than a foot.
- 9th: Dozens of schools were closed or delayed classes, while travel was not recommended after a winter storm brought ice, snow up to 6" and high winds to Iowa. Heavy overnight snows left up to 15 inches in some of the mountain towns of Colorado. Severe weather in northern Texas with a possible tornado caused one injury. At least three tornadoes touched down in the Alexandria, Louisiana scattering debris and knocking down a cinderblock wall and there were possible tornadoes in Mississippi and at least 4 tornadoes in Alabama.
- 11th: Extreme cold from Texas to the Florida Panhandle with snow in Houston, New Orleans and across northern Mississippi, Alabama and parts of NW Georgia.
- 12th: The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire declared states of emergency after high winds, rain and snow swept through the Northeast, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power and at least one death in Massachusetts. 1000's lost power in the Mid-Hudson and Catskills in New York from a snow/ice storm.
- 14th: Snowstorms and icy conditions delayed flights across the northern United States, caused havoc on roads and left thousands without electricity. A cold storm brought up to 1 1/2 inches of rain to Los Angeles and several inches of snow to the mountains with night temperatures in San Fernando Valley plunged into the 30s.
- 16th-17th: A blast of Arctic air had much of the nation from the Great Lakes to Oregon and down to Texas in its cold, icy grip. The temperature at International Falls, Minnesota, was 26 below zero at 8 a.m. Temperatures hovering as low as 23 below zero have parts of Montana. In Dallas, Texas the temperature barely got above freezing. In Las Vegas, Nevada, residents saw a rare snow accumulation. While a cold, wet storm blew into Southern California with twenty-four-hour rainfall totals of 1.44 inches at Los Angeles International Airport.
- 20th: Successive waves of wintry weather gripped much of the country, frustrating holiday travelers from coast to coast and keeping the lights off for thousands of people who lost power after ice storms just days ago.
- 24th: 2 tornadoes in Alabama destroyed and damaged several homes. The NW was hit with a powerful storm with heavy rain, mountain snows and winds gusting to hurricane force. Wide scale poweroutages resulted and at least 30 deaths were reported.
- 25th-26th: Snow and ice storms with high winds ripped through a center of the country from northern Indiana to Ohio to western Pennsylvania closing roads and knocking out power.
- 26th: After temperatures well below normal in many parts of Texas, temperatures soared into the 70s and 80s. Winter weather affected state employees after several agencies had to close this week in Washington. Winter weather across Idaho closed numerous roads, including an avalanche.
- 27th: 3 tornadoes touched down in West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri causing relatively minor damage. Rainfall of one to two inches combined with melting snow throughout southwest Missouri caused flooding. A winter storm that brought blizzards to the U.S. mountain West dumped 4 feet of snow on high-altitude Silverton, Colo.
- 27th-28th: Heavy rain and melting snow closed several major highways and caused a state of emergency in a number of counties.
- 28th: Winds roared through Western New York with gusts that reached 75 mph, toppling trees and power poles and causing widespread damage and in Michigan Hurricane-force winds on the 27th left nearly 400,000 still without power.
- 30th: Hurricane-force winds raked the Front Range in Colorado causing roof damage, power outages, knocking out traffic lights and sending debris blowing wildly across highways and people's yards.
- 30th:-31st: A Clipper brought ice, snow, wind and extreme cold from the upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and New England.
- 31st: Mississippi was struck by 108 tornadoes in 2008, a new record for the state. Washington and North Dakota set records for the most snow in December. High winds from a winter storm shut down a midnight fireworks display planned for Boston's annual New Year's Eve celebration.
|