A cold December to remember

(KTEN) – December 2022 was an active month to say the least. From severe weather to winter weather, the month had it all.

In general, the month had ups and downs in terms of high temperatures. Christmas Eve Eve featured a high of just 24° thanks to an arctic blast of cold air that protruded into Texoma. Additionally, a high of 76° was observed in Sherman, Texas on December 5.

Not much rain fell during the month of December with Sherman picking up just 1.48 inches, well below the average of 3.62 inches.

Switching gears to more notable weather events that occurred during the past months, the severe weather event of December 13 brought more damage to Texoma. Tornadoes were observed in Cooke, Lamar, and Fannin counties in North Texas.

An EF-0 tornado was rated in Cooke County along with two separate EF-2 tornadoes observed in both Fannin and Lamar counties. Homes were destroyed in Lamar County thanks to sustained winds up to 115 MPH.

Flashbacks of February 2021 were felt with the arctic blast of December 22, 2022. Cold, arctic air infiltrated Texoma, bringing wind chills down to the negative teens and air temperatures into the single digits. Wind Chill Advisories were issued for all Texoma counties ahead of the arctic blast.

Steam fog was produced off of some regional lakes during the cold snap, which is a rare event that only occurs when extremely cold air moves over relatively warm waters.

As we ring in 2023, conditions remain rather warm for the next week. Happy New Year!