Heat in Georgia, December 1 to 23, 2001

Unseasonably warm temperatures prevailed across north and central Georgia throughout much of December. Only after a strong cold front moved through on the 23rd did temperatures drop to seasonal and below seasonal levels. High temperatures in the 60s and 70s were common during the first 23 days of the month, and there were very few days during this same period that high temperatures were below 60 degrees. Low temperatures were mainly in the 40s during this same period. Normal daily highs for much of north and central Georgia during December are in the lower 50s with normal daily lows in the middle 30s. In fact, a freezing temperature did not occur at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport until the 21st of December. Furthermore, the temperature exceeded 60 degrees at the Atlanta airport all but 3 days during the first 19 days of the month. For 5 consecutive days from the 4th through the 8th, the temperature in Atlanta reached or exceeded 70 degrees, with a 75 degree reading on December 6th only 4 degrees shy of the all time record high temperature for December of 79 degrees. For the first 19 days of the month, the mean daily temperature at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport averaged nearly 11 degrees above normal. Departures from average for major reporting stations in Georgia during the month included +5.6 degrees at Atlanta, +5.2 degrees at Athens, +3.4 degrees at Macon, and +4.8 degrees for Columbus.