Extreme Cold in Georgia, December 1 to 31, 2000

December 2000 was one of the coldest December's on record for much of north and central Georgia. In Atlanta, the monthly average temperature of 37.2 degrees F was the 4th coldest December on record, exceeded only in 1917 and 1935 with 36.2 degrees F and 1963 with 35.5 degrees F. There was a string of ten consecutive days with minimum temperatures 32 degrees F or lower occurring from December 17th through December 26th. The last time that there were 10 or more consecutive days with minimum temperatures 32 degrees F or lower was in December of 1995. There were a total of 20 days during the month that the minimum temperature dropped to or below freezing. In addition, there were 7 days on which the minimum temperature dropped below 20 degrees F in Atlanta, with 13 degrees F on the 20th being the lowest . There were even three days, the 21st, 22nd, and the 30th on which the maximum temperature even failed to rise above freezing. The story was similar across north and central Georgia with Athens reporting an average monthly temperature of 36.9 degrees F, 15 consecutive days of minimum temperatures below freezing from the 17th through the end of the month, a total of 23 days during the month which the minimum dropped to or below freezing, and a minimum temperature for the month of 15 degrees F on the 20th. At Macon, the average monthly temperature was 39.3 degrees F, there were 11 consecutive days on which the minimum dropped to or below freezing from the 17th through the 27th, and 22 days total for the month on which the minimum dropped to or below freezing, with the lowest temperature of 17 degrees F on the 20th. At Columbus, the average monthly temperature was 41.2 degrees F, there were 9 consecutive days on which the temperature dropped to or below freezing, and a total of 17 days for the month on which the minimum dropped to or below freezing, with the lowest temperature of 17 degrees F on December 20th. Temperatures dropped to as low as the single digits in the northeast Georgia mountains during the week before Christmas. Wind chill indicies were quite significant during two episodes, first on the 17th and then again on the 30th. In both instances, temperatures in the teens and 20s combined with winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusty to drop wind chill indices to as low as 15 below zero degrees F in north Georgia and to as low as zero degrees F in central Georgia.December was also one of the snowiest December's on record. In Atlanta, there were 6 days on which a trace or more of snow fell, with the greatest amounts of 2.0 inches and 0.5 inch on the 19th and 17th, respectively. Two to four inch snowfalls for the month were common across north Georgia, with several inches falling during multiple events in the northeast Georgia mountains.