Last month tied for Chicago’s fourth-warmest December on record

Last December in Chicago tied for the area’s fourth-warmest on record, according to the National Weather Service. The average temperature of 39 degrees landed 8.5 degrees above normal.

The lowest Chicago area temperature was 17 degrees Dec. 19. The highest temperature was 59 degrees Dec. 25. Christmas Day’s low of 50 degrees set the daily record for highest minimum temperature.

These high temperatures led to slightly higher rainfall and lower snowfall than average, according to the weather service.

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El Niño, an episodic warming of Pacific waters that impacts global weather patterns, returned in 2023. According to weather service senior meteorologist Brett Borchardt, El Niño typically favors a warmer winter. December 2015, which also had an average temperature of 39 degrees, experienced strong El Niño effects as well.

The warmest December on record was in 1877, when an average temperature was 43 degrees.

Chicagoans hoping for a mild remainder of winter shouldn’t stow their coats quite yet. High December temperatures don’t necessarily mean the season will stay that way, Borchardt said. The weather service predicts a strong storm will hit the area by early next week.

“We’ve actually seen in the past few winters that December, and even November, have been warmer than past Decembers and Novembers, but with that said, Januaries, Februaries and even Marches have still been winterlike, so there’s unfortunately not much predictive skill,” Borchardt said.