Temperatures in the 60s in December are a welcome sight to those hoping autumn stays a little longer and are an unwelcome sight to ski enthusiasts. While uncommon, it's not impossible for Central Pennsylvania to experience temperatures often seen in October.
The weather team at WTAJ keeps record of, well, records in Altoona. Record high temperatures in December range from the mid 50s on the 19th to 72 on December 5. About a third of the record high temps were set in the 1970s and '80s, but a pair of high temperatures set back in the 1920s has yet to be broken and the 72 was set in 2001.
We don't track just record high and low temperatures, and most of the "recent" records are not in the temperature category, but in the 24-hour snowfall column. Five record snowfalls have been set since 2000, including a 9.5" snowfall in 2003 on December 5. (Interesting how a 72 record high and a record snowfall are separated by just two years.)
Temperatures peaked around lunch Monday, with a high of 62, one degree short of the record set in 1982. The warming trend continued Tuesday with a 68 reading being taken at Blair County Airport during the 1 p.m. hour. That breaks the old record of 67 also set in 1982.
The most recent record set (before Tuesday) was December 15, 2011 with a 61 high. The seasonal average for that day is 38. It'll be interesting to see what other records are set this December.
For those of you wondering, the seasonal average high on Christmas Day is 35 and record is 67, set back in 1932.
The weather team at WTAJ keeps record of, well, records in Altoona. Record high temperatures in December range from the mid 50s on the 19th to 72 on December 5. About a third of the record high temps were set in the 1970s and '80s, but a pair of high temperatures set back in the 1920s has yet to be broken and the 72 was set in 2001.
We don't track just record high and low temperatures, and most of the "recent" records are not in the temperature category, but in the 24-hour snowfall column. Five record snowfalls have been set since 2000, including a 9.5" snowfall in 2003 on December 5. (Interesting how a 72 record high and a record snowfall are separated by just two years.)
Temperatures peaked around lunch Monday, with a high of 62, one degree short of the record set in 1982. The warming trend continued Tuesday with a 68 reading being taken at Blair County Airport during the 1 p.m. hour. That breaks the old record of 67 also set in 1982.
The most recent record set (before Tuesday) was December 15, 2011 with a 61 high. The seasonal average for that day is 38. It'll be interesting to see what other records are set this December.
For those of you wondering, the seasonal average high on Christmas Day is 35 and record is 67, set back in 1932.
