The last month of 2023 brought soaring temperatures and soggy conditions. Here’s where the month ranked in the history books.

What You Need To Know

  • Dec. 2023 was the second warmest December on record

  • The month ranked as the ninth wettest December in over 150 years

  • We had snow on one day last month

  • The warmest day this December was 62 degrees

Typically, December is the month when we get consistently cold and sometimes see snow. The average snowfall for December is around 5 inches.

This December, though, felt like an extension of November, with 23 out of the 31 days recording above average temperatures. Here’s the breakdown.

Mild December

The warmest day in December was 62 degrees. That was on Dec. 18. The coldest day was Dec. 22 when readings fell to 25 degrees. Overall, the average temperature was 44.6 degrees.

This ranks as the second warmest December for NYC in 154 years. Warm Decembers have been common lately with 7 of the top 10 warmest Decembers all happening since 1990. The last December to rank in the top 10 coldest was in 1976. 

Soggy month

It didn’t rain often in December, but when we had showers, they were heavy. Rainfall for the month topped 6 inches, which is over 2 inches above the average.

All that rain came in less than a week. There were six wet days in December. Also, there were a few flakes with a trace of snow recorded on Dec. 17. 

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.