December, 1997 Preliminary Local Climatological Data La Crosse, WI National Weather Service |-Temperature-|--------Degree Days---------|-Precipitation-|-Snowfall-|----Wind----| (degrees F) (base 65 degrees F) (inches) (inches) (mph, deg) Heating Cooling Max Min Avg Dep HDD Seas Dep CDD Seas Dep Tot Tot Norm Tot Tot Avg Pk Dir from for for for for for Spd Gust at Norm Seas Seas Mon Mon Seas Pk Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 37 34 36 9 29 1508 -30 0 721 29 0 0 0.05 0.0 1.8 M M M 2 37 34 36 9 29 1537 -39 0 721 29 T T 0.10 T 1.8 M M M 3 34 31 33 7 32 1569 -46 0 721 29 0.33 0.33 0.15 3.0 4.8 M M M 4 31 27 29 4 36 1605 -50 0 721 29 0.03 0.36 0.20 0.3 5.1 M M M 5 31 21 26 1 39 1644 -51 0 721 29 T 0.36 0.25 T 5.1 M M M 6 32 28 30 6 35 1679 -56 0 721 29 T 0.36 0.30 T 5.1 M M M 7 35 19 27 3 38 1717 -59 0 721 29 0 0.36 0.35 0 5.1 M M M 8 29 26 28 5 37 1754 -63 0 721 29 0.03 0.39 0.40 0.3 5.4 M M M 9 34 24 29 6 36 1790 -69 0 721 29 0.08 0.47 0.44 0.8 6.2 M M M 10 37 33 35 13 30 1820 -81 0 721 29 0.11 0.58 0.48 1.1 7.3 M M M 11 33 27 30 8 35 1855 -89 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.52 0 7.3 M M M 14 39 18 29 8 36 1964 -111 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.64 0 7.3 M M M 15 47 31 39 19 26 1990 -129 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.68 0 7.3 M M M 16 46 26 36 16 29 2019 -145 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.72 0 7.3 M M M 17 43 20 32 13 33 2052 -158 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.76 0.0 7.3 M M M 18 41 32 37 18 28 2080 -176 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.80 0.0 7.3 M M M 19 39 31 35 16 30 2110 -192 0 721 29 T 0.58 0.84 T 7.3 M M M 20 34 19 27 9 38 2148 -201 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.88 0.0 7.3 M M M 21 33 14 24 6 41 2189 -207 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.92 0.0 7.3 M M M 22 35 28 32 14 33 2222 -221 0 721 29 0 0.58 0.96 0 7.3 M M M 23 35 22 29 12 36 2258 -233 0 721 29 T 0.58 1.00 T 7.3 M M M 24 29 25 27 10 38 2296 -243 0 721 29 T 0.58 1.04 T 7.3 M M M 25 30 23 27 10 38 2334 -253 0 721 29 0 0.58 1.08 0 7.3 M M M 26 41 20 31 14 34 2368 -267 0 721 29 T 0.58 1.12 T 7.3 M M M 27 28 9 19 3 46 2414 -270 0 721 29 0 0.58 1.15 0 7.3 M M M 28 32 25 29 13 36 2450 -283 0 721 29 0.01 0.59 1.18 0.1 7.4 M M M 29 30 15 23 7 42 2492 -290 0 721 29 T 0.59 1.21 T 7.4 M M M 30 28 13 21 5 44 2536 -295 0 721 29 0.05 0.64 1.24 0.4 7.8 M M M 31 19 6 13 -2 52 2588 -293 0 721 29 0 0.64 1.27 0 7.8 M M M DEC CLIMATOLOGICAL REPORT FOR LA CROSSE WISCONSIN DECEMBER OF 1997 CLOSED OUT THE YEAR IN LA CROSSE ON A VERY MILD AND DRY NOTE. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 28.9 DEGREES MADE THIS THE WARMEST DECEMBER SINCE 1965 WHEN THE MEAN TEMPERATURE WAS 30.5 DEGREES. THIS DECEMBER WAS NOT...HOWEVER...ONE OF THE 10 WARMEST IN LA CROSSE WEATHER HISTORY SINCE THERE WERE MANY MILDER DECEMBERS BACK IN THE EARLY PART OF THIS CENTURY AND ALSO IN THE LATE 1800'S. THE WARMEST DECEMBER EVER IN LA CROSSE WAS WAY BACK IN 1877 WITH AN INCREDIBLY WARM AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 39.3 DEGREES OR ALMOST 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES WERE ESPECIALLY MILD THIS PAST DECEMBER WITH AN AVERAGE LOW OF 23.2 DEGREES WHICH IS MORE THAN 10 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 12.5 DEGREES. NO SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES WERE RECORDED IN DECEMBER WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE ONLY FALLING TO 6 ABOVE ON NEW YEAR'S EVE. DECEMBER 31ST ALSO ENDED A LONG STRING OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE FIRST 30 DAYS OF DECEMBER ALONG WITH THE LAST 6 DAYS IN NOVEMBER WERE ALL WARMER THAN AVERAGE THUS GIVING A PERIOD OF 36 STRAIGHT DAYS WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL WERE BOTH ABOUT 50% BELOW NORMAL THIS DECEMBER. THE ONLY DAY WITH GREATER THAN AN INCH OF SNOW OCCURRED ON THE 3RD WHEN 3 INCHES FELL. THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH ON THE GROUND WAS ALSO 3 INCHES. TEMPERATURE DATA...... (DEGREES F) AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE.... 28.9 OR 8.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 34.6 AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 23.2 HIGHEST TEMPERATURE WAS 47 ON DAY 15 LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 6 ON DAY 31 HEATING DEGREE DAYS (BASE 65) COOLING DEGREE DAYS MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 1109 MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 0 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -272 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 0 SEASONAL TOTAL (JUL-JUN). 2588 SEASONAL TOTAL (JAN-DEC) 721 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -293 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 29 PRECIPITATION DATA.... ..RAIN.. TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 0.64 OR 0.63 INCHES BELOW NORMAL TOTAL SINCE JANUARY 1ST..... 30.18 OR 0.37 INCHES BELOW NORMAL GREATEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL WAS .33 INCHES ON THE 3RD ..SNOW.. TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 6.0 TOTAL FOR THE SEASON........ 7.8 GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL WAS 3.0 INCHES ON THE 3RD ..NUMBER OF DAYS.. WITH .01 INCHES OR MORE 7 HIGHS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 12 WITH .10 INCHES OR MORE 2 HIGHS 90 DEGREES OR WARMER 0 WITH .50 INCHES OR MORE 0 LOWS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 28 WITH 1.00 INCHES OR MORE 0 LOWS 0 DEGREES OR COLDER 0