Precipitation and Temperatures in December for Illinois
Based on data through December 21, the statewide average precipitation was 2.9 inches, 1.1 inches above average.
The statewide average temperature was 35.6 °F, 4.5 °F above average. That stands in stark contrast to last December when the average temperature was 21.8 °F through this date. Put another way, we are about 13.8 °F warmer this December than last December through the 21st of the month.
Where is the snow?
With the warmer temperatures this December, we have seen lots of rain but not much snow. The two maps show the snowfall for the period of December 1-21, 2011 and the same period for December 2010. Snowfall is lacking throughout much of the Midwest except for the one winter storm earlier this week. Southeast Illinois has reported no snowfall in December while much of the rest of state has seen two inches or less. By this time last December (second map), much of Illinois and the upper Midwest had experienced 10-25 inches of snow.
