AUSTIN, Texas — It's no secret that this December has been very warm for Central Texas. Now as the month comes to a close, we know that December 2021 will go down as the warmest December on record for Austin.
We're still waiting on the final number for the month, but the average temperature through the first 30 days of the month has been 64.8 degrees. If this sounds cooler than you thought, keep in mind that this is the overall average temperature including the nights and mornings.
The normal December average temperature is 52.2 degrees, meaning the average for this year was about 12 degrees warmer. This is a huge difference when talking about average temperatures over the span of an entire month.
With regard to the afternoons, nearly all of them this month were above average with only three days that were cooler than average. The average afternoon high through this month has been nearly 75 degrees.
The record books really put this month in perspective. The second warmest December on record was way back in 1933 with an average temperature of 59.6 degrees, so the average temperature this month was about 5 degrees over the second warmest December on record.
Of course this is La Niña winter, which overall tends to favor warmer and drier than normal conditions here in Central Texas.
RELATED: Another La Niña winter: What does that mean for Central Texas and the potential for a deep freeze?
With that in mind, we are tracking a strong cold front that arrives Saturday night with out coldest air so far of the season. For the details on our forecast, check out our latest blog.
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