Metro Detroit Closes Warmest December on Record

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METRO DETROIT, MI – Here’s a bit of weather trivia to tuck in your shorts pocket: The recently ended month was the warmest December on record in southeast Michigan, with an average temperature in metro Detroit of 41.1 degrees.

The previous record was 40.6 degrees, set in 1881, according to the National Weather Service. Flint and Saginaw broke records as well.

The average December temperature is 30.1 degrees in Metro Detroit since local record-keeping began in 1874.

Rachel Kulik, a meteorologist for the weather service’s office in White Lake, told the Detroit Free Press that December weather in 2015 was more typical of November temperatures, which have averaged 41.5 degrees in metro Detroit.

The warm temperature are a result of a strong El Niño weather pattern, Kulik said.

It’s going to feel more wintery in the coming days. Here’s the seven-day forecast from the weather service:

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a high near 35; west southwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph; mostly cloudy overnight, with southwest wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a high near 33; northwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph; 40 percent chance of snow showers overnight, with a low around 21; northwest wind 8 to 50 mph.

Monday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers, mostly cloudy, with a high near 24; north wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph; partly cloudy overnight with a low around 14.

Tuesday: Sunny with a high near 25; mostly clear overnight with a low around 14.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33; partly cloudy overnight with a low around 26.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36; mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 29.

Friday: A chance of rain and snow showers; cloudy with a high near 37.

» Photo by Andrew Magill via Flickr / Creative Commons