Wednesday, January 05, 2011
 
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No surprise: December 2010 in Illinois was cold and snowy

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[January 05, 2011]  CHAMPAIGN -- The statewide average temperature for December 2010 was 24.0 degrees, which is 5.8 degrees below normal. This ranks as the 12th-coldest December on record, according to Jim Angel, state climatologist, of the Illinois State Water Survey.

The highest temperature for the month was reported at Carbondale, with 65 degrees on Dec. 31. The lowest temperature for the month was reported at both Stockton and Elizabeth, with minus 10 degrees on Dec. 14 and 15, respectively.

Snowfall was above normal throughout the state in December and heaviest in a band from northwest into east-central Illinois. Snowfall totals for December include 20.4 inches in Champaign-Urbana, for their snowiest December on record; 18.1 inches in Bloomington-Normal, their second-snowiest December; and 19.2 inches in Peoria, their third-snowiest December. Champaign-Urbana beat both Rockford's 19.2 inches and the Chicago O'Hare Airport total of 16.2 inches on snowfall.

The largest snowfall total reported in the state was 30.0 inches near Galena. Streator reported 28.5 inches.

Even though snowfall was above average in most locations, the average statewide precipitation was only 1.8 inches, 0.9 inch below normal.

Precipitation is a combination of rainfall and the water content of any snow.

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The Illinois State Water Survey, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability and is the primary agency in Illinois concerned with water and atmospheric resources.

[Text from file received from the Illinois State Water Survey

 

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