NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

DECEMBER 2025

Nov. 30-Dec. 6: Significant precipitation fell across the Southeast, excluding Florida’s peninsula, with rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches or more observed from the central Gulf Coast to the coastal Carolinas. Some snow fell along the northern edge of the precipitation shield, from the mid South to the mid-Atlantic.

With snow already covering the ground across the northern Plains and Midwest, additional snow fell—a little farther south, with some overlap—in early December. Record-setting snowfall totals for December 1 included 4.7 inches in Topeka, KS, and 3.8 inches in St. Louis, MO. Snow also lingered in the Great Lakes States, where Muskegon, MI, measured a daily-record snowfall of 7.1 inches on December 1. Meanwhile, heavy showers developed in the central Gulf Coast region, where record-setting totals for December 1 reached 3.23 inches in Gulfport, MS, and 3.22 inches in Mobile, AL. Rain quickly shifted eastward on December 2, resulting in daily record totals topping 2 inches on Cape Hatteras, NC (2.05 inches), and in Florence SC (2.03 inches). Farther north, daily-record snowfall totals for the 2nd exceeded the 4-inch mark in Albany, NY (7.2 inches), and Concord, NH (6.6 inches), as well as Louisville, KY (4.7 inches) and Columbus, OH (4.7 inches). To the west, a mid-week burst of snow across the central Rockies and adjacent High Plains delivered 5.8 inches of snow on December 3 in Pueblo, CO. During the second half of the week, additional heavy rain fell in the central Gulf Coast region, where Baton Rouge, LA, received 4.69 inches on December 4. For Baton Rouge, it was the wettest December day since December 18, 1995, when 6.39 inches fell. At week’s end, another round of snow overspread the north-central U.S. In South Dakota, daily-record snowfall totals for December 6 included 4.9 inches in Sioux Falls and 2.6 inches in Aberdeen.

7-13: A procession of storms battered the Pacific Northwest with relentless rainfall, leading to historic flooding in parts of western Washington. Abundant atmospheric moisture arriving nearly perpendicular to many mountain ranges, including the Cascades, maximized rainfall rates. Runoff was enhanced by unusual warmth, which melted lower- and middle-elevation snowpack. Record-high crests were reported along portions of the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Cedar Rivers, mainly on December 10 or 11, with high-water marks from late-November 1990 or early-November 2006 being surpassed.

beneficial rain fell as far south as central Florida, where record-setting totals for December 7 included 2.66 inches in Orlando and 1.90 inches in Tampa. Meanwhile, snow cloaked parts of the Midwest, leading to a daily-record sum (4.9 inches) for December 7 in Rockford, IL By December 8, snow in the central Appalachians and middle Atlantic States included daily-record amounts in Charleston, WV (5.0 inches), and Richmond, VA (4.0 inches). Snow squalls raged downwind of the Great Lakes, with Sault Ste. Marie, MI, receiving more than 40 inches during the first 13 days of December. Sault Ste. Marie’s highest daily total, 10.2 inches on December 8, was a record for the date. Meanwhile, rainfall intensified across western Washington. In Olympia, WA, measurable rain fell each day from December 4-11, totaling 7.15 inches. Hoquiam, WA, tallied measurable rain on each of the first 12 days of December, totaling 7.09 inches. Both Olympia (3.03 inches) and Hoquiam (2.92 inches) measured daily record totals on December 8. On the same date, Hoquiam also clocked a peak southwesterly wind gust to 68 mph. December 10 was another exceptionally wet day in western Washington, with daily-record amounts reaching 2.28 inches in Bellingham and 1.60 inches in Seattle. Farther inland, Kalispell, MT (1.03 inches on December 10), experienced its wettest day since November 2, 2023, when 1.41 inches fell. On December 11, snow from the northern Plains into the mid-South resulted in daily-record totals in locations such as Glasgow, MT (7.5 inches); Springfield, IL (3.4 inches); and Louisville, KY (2.5 inches). Glasgow’s December 11 precipitation, which included freezing rain and snow, totaled 0.94 inch, marking the wettest winter day on record in that location (previously, 0.81 inch on December 17, 1939. Billings, MT, was blanketed by 13.0 inches of snow on December 11 12, aided by a daily-record total of 8.8 inches on the latter date. As the week ended, another round of snow streaked across the Midwest, producing daily record totals of 5.4 inches in Ottumwa, IA, and Columbus, OH.

14-20: Multiple rounds of heavy precipitation continued to hammer the Pacific Northwest, leading to some additional flooding. The latest storms also produced high winds, resulting in travel disruptions, downed trees, and scattered to widespread power outages. However, as the week progressed, the focus for heavy precipitation shifted southward into western Oregon and northwestern California. High winds raked a much broader area, encompassing much of the northern and western U.S., as well as the Plains. Where high winds interacted with snow or blowing snow, blizzard conditions ensued. Some of the harshest weather struck around the middle of the week across the north-central U.S., where snow was driven by wind gusts ranging from 60 to 90 mph.

As the week began, Northeastern snow preceded bitter cold. Daily-record snowfall totals for December 14 reached 6.7 inches in Trenton, NJ, and 5.8 inches in Islip, NY. A few days later, heavy precipitation returned across the Pacific Northwest. December 1-20 rainfall in Bellingham, WA, climbed to 6.92 inches (253 percent of normal), aided by a daily-record sum of 1.24 inches on the 16th. Farther east, Glasgow, MT, received 4.4 inches of snow on December 17, driven by wind gusts as high as 78 mph. Although December 18 snowfall in North Dakota generally totaled an inch or less, wind gusts of 67 mph in Grand Forks, 63 mph in Fargo, and 62 mph in Bismarck resulted in sharp reductions in visibility. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation began to shift southward in the West, leading to record-setting rainfall totals for December 18 in Oregon locations such as Salem (2.93 inches), Eugene (2.75 inches), and Portland (2.10 inches). For Salem, it was the wettest day at any time of year since January 20, 1972, when 3.07 inches fell. For Eugene, it was the wettest day since November 18, 1996, when 4.03 inches fell. Late in the week, a brief burst of heavy rain affected the East, where record-setting amounts for December 19 included 1.79 inches in Mount Pocono, PA; 1.40 inches in Richmond, VA; and 1.26 inches in Trenton, NJ.

21-27: Flooding rains shifted southward in the western U.S., striking parts of California. A deluge in southern California, which peaked on December 24, delivered flash flooding and debris flows. However, Sierra Nevada snowpack, which contained an average of only about an inch of liquid equivalency as the week began, grew to 6.5 inches (about 75 percent of average for the date) by December 27. Unsettled weather lingered in the Northwest, although precipitation intensity diminished.

Early in the week, a final round of heavy precipitation lashed the Northwest. On December 21, for example, daily-record precipitation totals topped an inch in Oregon locations such as Burns (1.20 inches), Ontario (1.14 inches), and Klamath Falls (1.04 inches). By December 23, a remarkably potent Pacific storm system with ties to tropical moisture bore down on the U.S. Pacific Coast. The following day, Christmas Eve, featured more than 4 inches of rain in southern California locations such as Santa Barbara (4.52 inches) and Sandberg (4.09 inches). For Santa Barbara, it was the wettest December day on record, supplanting 3.10 inches on December 23, 2021. From December 23-26, rainfall totaled 6.50 inches in Santa Barbara and 6.20 inches in Sandberg. Significant precipitation also fell in California’s Central Valley, where record-setting rainfall totals for December 24 included 1.69 inches in Fresno and 0.97 inch in Bakersfield. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, month-to-date precipitation through December 27 climbed to 21.28 inches at Blue Canyon, with nearly one-third (6.73 inches) of that amount falling on the 21st. Late in the week, wintry precipitation developed from the Midwest into the Northeast. With a December 26-27 total of 4.3 inches, New York’s Central Park experienced its snowiest 2-day period since January 28-29, 2022, when 8.5 inches fell.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com