ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — Although winter doesn’t officially begin until Dec. 21, holiday imagery abounds with wintry imagery: snowflakes, snowmen, hot chocolate, snow-capped conifers, and cozy, cold-weather activities. With a changing climate, however, December in Athens County may look quite different in coming years.
It certainly won’t feel like winter this weekend, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s expected. Although temperatures will drop next week, they’re still expected to be in the upper 30s and 40s. And it’s likely to remain warmer and drier than usual all winter thanks to the first El Niño since 2018–19.
In Athens County, the normal December temperature between 1901 and 2000 — the 20th century — was 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just a bit cooler than the overall U.S. average for that period of 32.68.
The nation’s warmest December on record was 2021, when the average temperature reached 6.66 F above the long-term average, at 39.34. (The average temperature in Athens County that December was 42.4, the second-highest ever.) December 2022 was closer to the previous century’s average for the U.S. overall, at 33.08; here in Athens County, the average was 35.6.
So when did Athens County experience its warmest Decembers? To find out, Stacker used data from the National Centers for Environmental Information to identify the 15 Decembers with the highest average temperature since 1895. Also included is how that year’s temperature compared to the county’s 1901–2000 average of 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
#15. 1940: Average temperature: 38.7 F (+6.2 F)
#14. 2011 Average temperature: 38.8 F (+6.3 F)
#13. 1990: Average temperature: 38.9 F (+6.4 F)
#12. 2012: Average temperature: 39.3 F (+6.8 F)
#11. 2001: Average temperature: 39.7 F (+7.2 F)
#10. 2006: Average temperature: 39.8 F (+7.3 F)
#9. 1918: Average temperature: 40.1 F (+7.6 F)
#8. 1931: Average temperature: 40.2 F (+7.7 F)
#7. 1982: Average temperature: 40.4 F (+7.9 F)
#5. 1984 (tie): Average temperature: 40.6 F (+8.1 F)
#5. 1956 (tie): Average temperature: 40.6 F (+8.1 F)
#4. 1971: Average temperature: 40.7 F (+8.2 F)
#3. 1923: Average temperature: 41.7 F (+9.2 F)
#2. 2021: Average temperature: 42.4 F (+9.9 F)
#1. 2015: Average temperature: 45.8 F (+13.3 F)
