MikeS 66 Index December 2012 Report

I compiled the data for the month of December at the 66 locations I've chosen across the United States. Although not official, the index takes a look at the climate regions across the country and calculates the temperature and precipitation data for the month. This in turn will help me as I compare the data to various teleconnections such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and others for the month.

Summary:
Despite a cold pattern for many during the last week of the month, December 2012 was a warm month for much of the United States. The U.S. monthly temperature report from my index was 40.6 or 3.8 above normal.

Also, precipitation amounts varied across the country. However, compilation of the data shows that the U.S. was slightly wetter than normal.

A look at specifics by climate region includes:
The northeast was wetter and warmer than normal. Coastal areas of Maine and Massachusetts contributed the wettest amounts.
The southern part was drier and warmer than normal. Oklahoma and southern Texas contributed the driest amounts.
Although the High Plains and the West were cooler than the rest of the United States, their temperatures still showed above average, just not as much. It was wet, though, along the coast from Washington to California.
While the Midwest basked in overall warmth, some of the above normal precipitation took place in the form of snow.Parts of Wisconsin and the favored areas along the Great Lakes recorded between 20-30 inches for the month.
Finally, the Southeast generally enjoyed warmer than normal readings. Rainfall was a welcome sight for some areas of drought-stricken Georgia. However, southern Florida recorded very little rainfall.

MS