December among the warmest on record
By Jacob Ogles
jogles@news-press.com
Originally posted on January 03, 2007
December in South Florida was among the warmest on record, according to National Weather Service statistics. But meteorologists said residents shouldn't brace for a lengthy warm winter.
According to temperatures recorded at weather stations in the area, the average temperature in Fort Myers this December was 70.9 degrees, making it the third-warmest December on record. Punta Gorda's average temperature was 69.6 degrees, the second warmest on record for that area.
Sarasota, Tampa and areas on the state's east coast also saw the second warmest November in the books.
National Weather Service meteorologist Barry Goldsmith said sunshine came courtesy of a subtropical ridge of high pressure. That ridge, he said, allowed surface water temperatures in tropical regions to warm the entire area.
"Since the ridge is centered in the deep tropics and was nosing into Florida for days at a time, temperatures stayed 10 to 15 degrees above normal."
Even when cloudy weather and scattered rains came into Southwest Florida around Christmas time, Goldsmith said, the area was still unseasonably warm.
The ridge was partly a result of an El Nino phenomenon, which affects climates around the world every several years.
Even when cold ridges gave snowy weather to large swaths of the country such as Denver, the subtropical ridge near Florida kept away the cold.
"The ridge basically said, 'I'm the dominating force here, and you can't push me away,'" Goldsmith said.
A few times, temperatures dipped below normal. On Dec. 8, the high was 66 degrees, and on Dec. 27 it was 64 degrees.
Whether warm weather keeps hold in the new year is uncertain, Goldsmith said.
Cool winds from Canada and other regions could break up the ridge. It could make February and March seem the coldest part of winter instead of December and January, Goldsmith said.
Balmy Alrighty...
