Here is the temperature outlook for the month of December from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. It suggests there will be equal chances for above-average — or below-average — temperatures for all of the state over the month as a whole.Climate Prediction Center
erage — or below-average — temperatures for all of the state over the month as a whole.Climate Prediction Center
It’s officially meteorological winter, and it certainly feels like it across Alabama, with very chilly temperatures in the forecast for today.
Meteorological winter runs from Dec. 1 until Feb. 28. Astronomical winter begins with the winter solstice, often referred to as the shortest day of the year. In 2024 that falls on Saturday, Dec. 21.
December is off to a cold start, but will that continue through the holidays?
There’s no way to know with any certainty, but NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has offered a prediction. Unfortunately, it doesn’t lean one way or the other for Alabama.
The temperature outlook for the month of December as a whole includes equal chances of both below-average and above-average temperatures. (The December temperature outlook is shown at the top of this post.)
Looking nationwide, the spots most likely to be warmer than average will be in the Southwest and the spots most likely to be colder than average will be in the Northeast.
What about rain — or any other kind of precipitation?
The December outlook from the CPC contains the same prediction for Alabama — equal chances of above-average or below-average precipitation.
Here’s the precipitation outlook for December:
Nationwide, the Southwest has the highest probabilities of getting below-average precipitation, while Alaska and parts of the Northern Tier of states have higher probabilities of above-average precipitation.
Those outlooks cover the month as a whole. What about in the shorter term?
The six- to 10-day temperature outlook, updated on Monday, suggests Alabama could have near-average temperatures from Dec. 8-12:The precipitation outlook for Dec. 8-12 shows higher chances for above-average precipitation, especially for the southern half of the state (40-50 percent):The eight- to 14-day outlook shows an increased probability (33-40 percent) of above-average temperatures for all of Alabama around the middle of the month (Dec. 10-16):The precipitation outlook for the same period (Dec. 10-16) shows near-average rainfall for most of Alabama but slightly increased odds of below-average precipitation for the northwest part of the state:
What is average, anyway?
Temperatures tend to trend colder over the month of December, but here’s the average high temperature, low temperature and rainfall for the month of December for several Alabama cities:
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