December 2020 Climate Summary

Overview and Graphics
Monthly Summary
Records

Overview and Graphics

December 2020 Climate Review: Temperatures finished above normal by around 2.5 to 3 degrees. We had several stretches of unusually mild temperatures, with the most pronounced occurring December 9-12. We had readings spike to 68 degrees in Paducah and Evansville on the 10th. The coldest air of the month arrived in time for Christmas Eve into Christmas Day, with highs remaining below freezing and lows dipping down into the teens. Paducah observed their coldest Christmas high temperature since 2000, only reaching 25 degrees. Evansville only managed to reach 20 degrees, which was their coldest Christmas high temperature since 1985. This was quite the contrast compared to Christmas 2019 when temperatures reached 70 in Paducah and 68 in Evansville!

The month finished drier than normal across the entire area, with deficits of 1.5 to 2 inches compared to normal commonplace. Most locations only picked up 2 to 3.5 inches for the month. The heaviest precipitation event for the month occurred December 30-31 in two separate waves. Paducah, Evansville, and Cape Girardeau were on pace to finish as the 7th, 5th, and 4th driest December respectively before the wet end to the month. The only measurable snow of the month occurred across portions of southern Illinois on December 16th with amounts up to 1 inch in some locations.

The graphic below is an interpolated rainfall map using actual observations. Please note that there are likely discrepancies in between observations, since the values are estimated based on nearest reports.

December 2020 Review: Precipitation and Temperature Maps (Click on image to enlarge)

Climate Maps are from the Northeast Regional Climate Center

Monthly Summary Listings of normals and records for Paducah, Evansville, and Cape Girardeau

Monthly Climate Report: Paducah | Evansville | Cape Girardeau

Records

Record Event Reports: Paducah | Evansville | Cape Girardeau