December 3 in Weather History

166 events on record, 856 to 2025

Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for December 3, in any year, each linked to its full record.

← December 2TodayDecember 4 →

December 3 on the map

Every event with a place, colored by kind. Tap one to open its record.

  • Tornadoes
  • Hurricanes and tropical storms
  • Floods
  • Severe storms
  • Winter storms and snow
  • Cold
  • Wildfires
  • Earthquakes
  • Volcanoes
  • Tsunamis
  • Other weather

The most significant

By deaths, damage and strength together, across every archive.

Volcanoes

20232023 eruption of Mount Marapi

On 3 December 2023, Mount Marapi, a complex volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, erupted, sending ash as high as 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) into the air, and depositing large amounts of volcanic ash in nearby districts. Twenty-four hikers were found dead near the crater of the volcano.

Where
Marapi
Country
Indonesia
Deaths
23
Injured
12

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The full record

By kind

Tornadoes

36 on December 3, oldest first.

2005Tornado in Arkansas, December 3, 2005

A weak tornado touched down briefly in Calhoun County, about 1.5 miles east-southeast of Woodberry. The tornado was on the ground for about 2.7 miles before dissipating 3 miles north-northeast of Hampton.

Strongest
F1
Events
1

The full record

Hurricanes and tropical storms

2 on December 3, oldest first.

Floods

12 on December 3, oldest first.

1998Flash Flood in Puerto Rico, December 3, 1998

Heavy rains in the overnight hours produced flash flooding in parts of Toa alta, Vega Baja, Manati, Caguas and Ciales. In Toa Alta several roads were completed flooded as Cibuco river overflowed its banks. Landslides were reported in some sectors of Toa Alta.

Damage
$100,000
Events
1

The full record

2007Coastal Flood in Oregon, December 3, 2007

Two very powerful storms with origins in the Tropics brought hazardous weather to the Pacific Northwest. Each storm moved over the coastal Pacific waters in quick succession, and were unusually strong. With the stronger winds, seas built to heights of 44 to 48 feet.

Damage
$18 million
Events
4

The full record

2007Coastal Flood in Washington, December 3, 2007

Two very powerful storms with origins in the Tropics brought hazardous weather to the Pacific Northwest. Each storm moved over the coastal Pacific waters in quick succession, and were unusually strong. With the stronger winds, seas built to heights of 44 to 48 feet.

Damage
$5.0 million
Events
1

The full record

2009Flooding in Arkansas, December 3 to 31, 2009

Well above normal rainfall from previous months, combined with additional heavy rainfall in early December and planned reservoir releases, caused the White and Cache rivers to rise above flood stage during the first part of the month.

Damage
$185,000
Events
3

The full record

Severe storms

22 on December 3, oldest first.

1997Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 3, 1997

Severe thunderstorms caused extensive damage in downtown Lake Charles. A four story hotel that was under construction collapsed, causing 1.25 million dollars worth of damages. Two trailers used by the construction crews were rolled over.

Damage
$1.5 million
Events
1

The full record

1997Damaging Wind in Texas, December 3, 1997

Severe thunderstorm winds blew down several utility poles and wires in Nederland. At 5:00 am, an 18 wheeler was blown off I-10 five miles west of Beaumont. The driver received minor injuries.

Injuries
1
Damage
$50,000
Events
1

The full record

1997Damaging Winds in Texas, December 3, 1997

Strong storm moved west to east across the area producing wind damage in its path. Tree fell onto a house roof and a carport was downed on a car in Pasadena. Road signs bent along HWY 225 in La Porte. Powerlines blown down in Deer Park. Trees blown down in Baytown.

Damage
$105,000
Strongest
80 kt wind
Events
2

The full record

1999High Wind in California, December 3 to 4, 1999

The strongest Santa Ana wind event of this year began in the early morning hours of December 3 and continued into the afternoon of December 4. Ten power poles were knocked down in Northwest San Bernardino, just below the Cajon Pass.

Damage
$210,000
Strongest
104 kt wind
Events
3

The full record

2007Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, December 3, 2007

Strong winds buffeted eastern Pennsylvania during the second half of the morning and into the evening on the 3rd. Highest wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and downed trees, tree limbs, scattered garbage pails and caused scattered power outages.

Injuries
2
Damage
$126,000
Events
10

The full record

2007Strong Wind in New Jersey, December 3, 2007

Strong winds buffeted New Jersey during the second half of the morning and into the evening on the 3rd. Highest wind gusts averaged 50 to 55 mph and downed trees, tree limbs and caused scattered power outages. Garbage cans and tree limbs littered county roadways.

Damage
$21,000
Events
21

The full record

2007Strong Wind in Maryland, December 3, 2007

Strong winds buffeted the Maryland Eastern Shore during the second half of the morning and the afternoon on the 3rd. Highest wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and downed trees and wires caused power outages.

Damage
$48,000
Events
5

The full record

2009Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, December 3, 2009

A low-topped squall line raced northeast across central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours before sunrise, producing damaging winds with measured peak gusts between 60 to 85 mph. The intense winds resulted in two injuries.

Injuries
2
Strongest
74 kt wind
Events
8

The full record

2011High Wind in Alaska, December 3 to 4, 2011

An intense Bering Sea Storm produced high wind across the Pribilof Islands and warm moist and windy conditions across much of south central Alaska. The peak wind in the Anchorage area was 118 mph at Glenn Alps.

Damage
$1.5 million
Strongest
103 kt wind
Events
2

The full record

2013High Wind in New Mexico, December 3 to 4, 2013

A powerful jet stream that shifted into New Mexico from the eastern Pacific Ocean focused periodic strong winds over the region on the 3rd and 4th. The strongest winds impacted the higher terrain and along the east slopes of the central mountain chain.

Strongest
70 kt wind
Events
17

The full record

Winter storms and snow

45 on December 3, oldest first.

1996Heavy Snow in Utah, December 3 to 4, 1996

An upper-level trough moved across the northern Great Basin developing snow across extreme northern Utah. Though the northern mountains did not receive warning criteria snowfall, most northern valleys did. Generally 4-8 inches of snow was reported with this system.

Injuries
25
Damage
$200
Events
4

The full record

1998Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 3 to 4, 1998

Heavy snow was reported across the Kenai Peninsula late Thursday and Friday...with areas around Kenai and Nikiski receiving in excess of 1 foot of snow in about 18 hours...closing several schools, causing major transportation delays and resulting in several power outages for…

Damage
$50,000
Events
1

The full record

2002Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 3 to 4, 2002

A mix of freezing rain and sleet fell on much of northeast Arkansas. The icy conditions brought down many trees,power poles and power lines. One man was killed in Lawrence county when a power line fell on him.

Deaths
1
Damage
$10 million
Events
7

The full record

2002Winter Storm in Arkansas, December 3 to 4, 2002

A mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain starting falling on the afternoon of the 3rd over parts of north-central Arkansas. The precipitation gradually overspread the rest of the area by that evening and continued through the morning hours of the 4th.

Damage
$3.7 million
Events
15

The full record

2002Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 3 to 4, 2002

Snow fell across much of southwest and south central Kansas generally along and south of a line from Syracuse through Dighton, Ness City and LaCrosse. The precipitation started out in the form of freezing rain along the Oklahoma border.

Events
19

The full record

2004Winter Weather in Vermont, December 3, 2004

A weak low pressure system moved from the eastern Great Lakes Friday morning, December 3rd across New England late Friday and Friday night, December 3rd. Light snow fell across much of Vermont and northern New York.

Damage
$95,000
Events
6

The full record

2006Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, December 3 to 4, 2006

A weak area of low pressure track through the northern Great Lakes and into upstate New York by the morning of the 4th. Northwest flow off of Lake Erie during this time brought lake effect snow to only a few counties throughout northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

Damage
$20,000
Events
1

The full record

2006Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 3 to 4, 2006

A weak area of low pressure track through the northern Great Lakes and into upstate New York by the morning of the 4th. Northwest flow off of Lake Erie during this time brought lake effect snow to only a few counties throughout northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

Damage
$20,000
Events
1

The full record

2007Winter Storm in Maine, December 3 to 4, 2007

Intensifying low pressure tracking across the Gulf of Maine to Nova Scotia from the afternoon of the 3rd through the morning of the 4th brought heavy precipitation and gusty winds to northern and eastern Maine. The storm brought heavy snow to the entire region.

Events
15

The full record

2008Winter Weather in Iowa, December 3, 2008

An arctic front swept through the region on December 3, 2008 accompanied by a band of snow behind the frontal passage. Mainly light snow fell for about a 5 to 7 hour period with total accumulations of 2 to 4 inches across eastern Iowa and northwest and western Illinois.

Deaths
2
Events
21

The full record

2010Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 3, 2010

Black ice on bridges and access roads leading into Prestonsburg was the cause of 20 car accidents during the morning of Friday, December 3rd. Five of the accidents resulted in the injuries of 3 people. The most serious accident occurred on the Bert T.

Injuries
3
Damage
$50,000
Events
1

The full record

2011Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 3 to 4, 2011

Seven people were injured in two separate accidents as a result of slippery roads across Trempealeau County. One person was injured in the first accident near Whitehall. This accident occurred after light freezing rain fell in the morning hours of December 3rd.

Injuries
7
Damage
$15,000
Events
2

The full record

2011Winter Storm in Kansas, December 3, 2011

An upper level trough of low pressure moved across Northwest Kansas bringing snowfall amounts of six to almost eleven inches with it. The snowfall began during the early morning, then began to taper off during the afternoon and evening hours.

Damage
$22,000
Events
4

The full record

2013Winter Storm in North Dakota, December 3 to 5, 2013

After a round of about one to five inches of light snow fell across eastern North Dakota on December 2nd and 3rd, a second round of snow fell on the 3rd through the 4th. This second batch of snow set up along an inverted trough, bringing about 4 to 10 inches of snow to the area.

Events
18

The full record

2020On the 2nd and 3rd of December, 2020, heavy snow fell across northwest Oklahoma, along with adjacent parts of the…

On the 2nd and 3rd of December, 2020, heavy snow fell across northwest Oklahoma, along with adjacent parts of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles along with a small part of southwest Kansas. While there were high snow totals, they were mainly confined to Harper County and a small part of northern Ellis and western parts of Woodward and Woods Counties. The highest totals were seen in the Buffalo, Laverne, and Gage areas where between 12 and 15 inches of snow piled up. Woodward saw anywhere from 5 to 8 inches, with higher amounts across the far western sides of the city.

From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.

The full record

Cold

8 on December 3, oldest first.

2002Extreme Cold in Michigan, December 3, 2002

Temperatures across the state averaged well below normal the first week of December. Detroit tied a 131-year record low of 3 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of the 3rd, while a temperature of -8 degrees Fahrenheit broke the record low in Flint.

Deaths
2
Events
2

The full record

Records set

1 on December 3, oldest first.

Wildfires

4 on December 3, oldest first.

2005Fm 920 Fire

The Fm 920 Fire was discovered on December 3, 2005, in Wise County, Texas, and burned 4,500 acres; the cause was recorded as human.

When
December 3, 2005
Acres
4,500

The full record

2005Carter Fire

The Carter Fire was discovered on December 3, 2005, in Palo Pinto County, Texas, and burned 1,865 acres; the cause was recorded as human.

When
December 3, 2005
Acres
1,865

The full record

2006Shekell Fire

The Shekell Fire was discovered on December 3, 2006, in Ventura County, California, and burned 30,000 acres; the cause was recorded as misuse of fire by a minor.

When
December 3, 2006
Acres
30,000

The full record

2012Wildfire in Texas, December 3, 2012

A wildfire began around 1020CST about nine miles south southeast of Canyon Texas in Randall county. The wildfire started near Interstate 40 and Dowlen Road and consumed an estimated seventy-five acres.

Damage
$25,000
Events
1

The full record

Earthquakes

15 on December 3, oldest first.

Volcanoes

4 on December 3, oldest first.

20232023 eruption of Mount Marapi

On 3 December 2023, Mount Marapi, a complex volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, erupted, sending ash as high as 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) into the air, and depositing large amounts of volcanic ash in nearby districts. Twenty-four hikers were found dead near the crater of the volcano.

Where
Marapi
Country
Indonesia
Deaths
23
Injured
12

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The full record

Tsunamis

6 on December 3, oldest first.

Space weather and aurora

1 on December 3, oldest first.

Other weather

10 on December 3, oldest first.

1997Lightning Strike in Louisiana, December 3, 1997

Lightning struck a home in Leesville. A tree limb had fallen through the dining room ceiling, parts of the northeast corner of the home were blown away, a hole had been knocked in the southern end of the building, and the patio at the rear of the home was destroyed.Although the…

Damage
$50,000
Events
1

The full record

2021Dense Fog in California, December 3, 2021

Little change in the upper air pattern occurred from the previous day. Clear skies, light winds and inversion conditions in the San Joaquin Valley allowed for areas of dense fog to form in Merced, Madera and Fresno Counties in the central San Joaquin Valley during the early…

Deaths
2
Injuries
3
Damage
$400,000
Events
4

The full record

2021High Surf in Hawaii, December 3 to 6, 2021

A large swell from the north-northwest generated surf of 25 to 35 feet along the north- facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai; 15 to 25 feet along the north-facing shores of the Big Island;…

Events
17

The full record

2024Dense Fog in California, December 3, 2024

Mainly clear skies prevailed across the area during the evening of December 2. With winds remaining light across the San Joaquin Valley along with the presence of low level moisture from recent rainfall and inversion conditions, areas of dense fog formed in the San Joaquin…

Deaths
1
Damage
$10,000
Events
6

The full record

Every day of the year

Sources

Gathered from this site’s archives: the tornado record (NOAA SPC, and Grazulis before 1950), IBTrACS and the National Hurricane Center, NOAA NCEI’s Storm Events Database, Regional Snowfall Index, billion-dollar disasters list, State Climate Extremes Committee and hazard databases, USGS, NIFC, GFZ Potsdam’s Kp index (CC BY 4.0), the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, and Wikidata (CC0), with article leads from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0, each credited where it appears. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.