It has been a dozen years since Sault Ste. Marie woke up on Christmas Day to just a trace of snow on the ground.
The community basked in above-average warmth for the 18th time in 19 months in December, according to Environment Canada, warmth which brought more than triple the area's normal rainfall and only two-thirds its 30-year snowfall norm.
The average daily temperature was more than 4 C warmer than usual, overnight lows nearly 5 C warmer than average and afternoon highs more than 3 C above the norm.
The above-seasonal trend has carried over into January. There was record warmth on New Year's Day, followed by temperatures within about a half-degree of equaling 60-year record afternoon highs Tuesday and Wednesday.
January afternoons typically warm up to -5.5, but the first three days of the month brought 3.5 degrees Monday, more than a half-degree above the record 2.8 of 1972, followed by 5.5 Tuesday and 5-plus early Wednesday afternoon.
The long-range forecast through Sunday calls for continued above-seasonal afternoon readings, including 5 degrees today and Friday.
The area experienced nearly twice as many zero-degree-or-warmer afternoons than usual last month; 21 as opposed to the traditional 12, including 19 straight Dec. 9 through Dec. 28, topping out at 5.8 Dec. 13.
Despite the abundance of above-seasonal warmth, only one new record was established; 4.7 on Dec. 17 eased past the former five-year-old record of 4.2.
The average daily temperature was -2.1, compared to the -6.3 norm. The average overnight low -5.5, compared to the traditional -10.3, and the average afternoon high 1.2, compared to the 30-year norm of -2.2.
December, usually the second-snowiest month of winter, brought 52 centimeters of snowfall, about 29 below the monthly 80.8-cm norm.
December opened with the only day of double-digit snowfall, 14.2 cm. Between then and New Year's eve the area had only and five 24-hour periods in which accumulation exceeded 5 cm.
The region's 47.3 mm of rainfall was more than triple the 13.7 mm norm.
But it's not that long a trip down memory lane to find a similar December.
Twelve years ago, in 1994, only 10.9 cm of snowfall fell during the month, nearly half of it falling on one day, and 23 days of zero or trace snowfall, five more snowless days than last month.
Environment Canada reported zero snow on the ground on Christmas Day 1994 and a trace amount for Christmas 2006.
The modest snowfall of a dozen years ago brought the three-month total, October through December, to 54 cm, in a winter with an eventual 217 cm accumulation, nearly 90 cm below the 303-cm norm.
This winter's three-month accumulation is now 108.7 cm, nearly 29 cm below the norm.
December 1994 brought only 3 mm of rainfall despite average afternoon highs of 2.2 degrees, 23 afternoons at zero or higher, eight at 5 degrees or better, and average daily temperatures of -1.2.
Stroll a little further down memory lane, but bring a shovel, to encounter one of the snowiest Decembers in recent memory.
Twenty-one years ago, December 1985, had the city buried under 176 cm of snow, six double-digit accumulations topping out at 25.9 cm (10 inches) to open the month.
The month included only four days of zero-or-trace snowfall but four 24-hour periods of 14-cm-or-higher accumulation.
On Christmas Day 1985 there was 56 cm on the ground.
The dumping brought three-month accumulation to 222 cm en route to an eventual 359.6 cm over seven months.
In the past two winters, nearly half the seasonal snowfall arrived in a month.
Last winter, 115 cm of a total 227 fell in February. The previous winter, 129 cm of a 287 total fell in December.
January traditionally brings average afternoon highs of -5.5, average overnight lows of -15.5, 81.7 cm of snow and 7.8 mm of rain.
