December 2023 Climate Summary

Overview and Graphics
Monthly Summary
Records

Overview and Graphics

December 2023 Climate Review:

Temperatures finished above normal by 4 to 6 degrees. Several locations observed one of their top 10 warmest Decembers on record, including Paducah and Evansville both finishing as their 8th warmest. While the month was dominated by warmth, there were a few brief cooler spells around the 11-12th, 18-19th, and 28-29th. We reached the 60s several different times, with the warmest period occurring on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The abnormally dry pattern that was present in November continued into December, with most areas only receiving 1.5-2.5”. This was generally 1.5 to 3” below normal for December. The highest observed amount was 3.10” at a CoCoRaHS station in northern Jefferson County Illinois (Dix 2 ENE). The driest locations tended to be across southwest Illinois around the Carbondale and Marion areas and also portions of west Kentucky from Murray to Calvert City to Morganfield.

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

Map of monthly precipitation totals

December 2023 Review: Precipitation and Temperature Maps (Click on image to enlarge)

Climate Maps are from the Northeast Regional Climate Center

Monthly Summary Monthly climate statistics for Paducah, Evansville, and Cape Girardeau

Monthly climate statistics for Poplar Bluff and Carbondale

Monthly Climate Report: Paducah | Evansville | Cape Girardeau | Poplar Bluff | Carbondale

Records Listing of records for PAH, EVV, CGI, POF, MDH.

Record Event Reports: Paducah | Evansville | Cape Girardeau | Poplar Bluff | Carbondale