See long range weather forecasts for the next 60 days from The Old Farmer’s Almanac! Our long range forecasts can be used to make more informed decisions about future plans that depend on the weather, from vacations and weddings to sporting events and outdoor activities.
DECEMBER 2020 LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR HEARTLAND
Dates Weather Conditions
Dec 1-7 Rainy periods, mild
Dec 8-16 Snow, then sunny, cold
Dec 17-26 Rain and snow showers, mild
Dec 27-31 Flurries, cold
December temperature 33.5° (3° above avg. north, avg. south)
precipitation 0.5" (1" below avg.)
JANUARY 2021 LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR HEARTLAND
Dates Weather Conditions
Jan 1-9 Sunny; cold, then mild
Jan 10-18 Scattered showers, mild
Jan 19-20 Rain and wet snow
Jan 21-31 Snow showers, cold
January temperature 31° (2° above avg.)
precipitation 0.5" (0.5" below avg.)
ANNUAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NOVEMBER 2020 TO OCTOBER 2021
Winter temperatures will be well above normal, on average, with the coldest periods in mid-December, from late December into early January, and in late February. Precipitation will be below normal, with snowfall below normal in most places. The snowiest periods will be in mid-November, early to mid-December, and mid-February. April and May temperatures will be above normal in the north and below normal in the south, with below-normal rain. Summer will be cooler and drier than normal, with the hottest periods in early July and mid-August. September and October will bring below-normal temperatures and rainfall.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/region/us/10
Mark Schnackenberg SCHNACK'S WEATHER BLOG
Meteorological Winter begins on December 1 and would include the months of December, January, and February. Meteorologists like to break the seasons up evenly and have them be the same from year to year.
We have had a little taste of winter so far, we are just getting started. The totals range from around 27 inches to around 40 inches, depending on location.
Let's break down the Waterloo number. December, on average, is the snowiest month of the cold season with 9.9 inches. From there each month the average goes down until spring. Why not January or February? Well, in those months it gets very cold and that means the atmosphere holds less moisture for storms to work with. This is part of the reason for lower snow totals in those months.
Now that we have the monthly breakdown, let's take a look at how much snow has actually fallen in December. Again, we will stay with Waterloo to keep the comparison consistent. The last few years had below normal snowfall in December. Then we go back to 2015 and 2016 where the snow totals were a little above normal.
The December outlook, from the Climate Prediction Center, shows above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation for Iowa and much of the Midwest.
Taken from SCHNACK'S WEATHER BLOG KWWL,com
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-33337 cell phone 641-903-9365