ATLANTA — It was an abnormally warm December in 2021 across much of the United States and records were broken in many spots, including Atlanta.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City tweeted Monday that for the first time in recorded history, Atlanta never had temperatures fall to the freezing point for the whole month of December. The lowest temperature recorded for December 2021 was 34°F on Dec. 23.
According to the NWS, records date back to 1878 and the previous recorded highest low temperature for the month of December was 31°F set in 1931.
In a separate tweet, the NWS also said this was the second warmest December on record for the entire state of Georgia.
Georgia wasn't the only state dealing with higher than average temperatures either. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tweeted out December 2021 was the warmest December on record for the United States with temperatures 6.7°F above average.
December finishing with temperatures well above average helped secure 2021 as being the fourth warmest year on record for the United States as a whole, according to NOAA.
During December 2021, Atlanta had five days bring record high temperatures. Four days brought below-average highs, one day was at average and the other 26 days were above-average.
Thankfully, cooler weather arrived in time for January across Georgia with four of the last seven coldest temperatures recorded in Atlanta since February 2021 occurring this month and more cold air expected throughout the next week.
For more on NOAA's report regarding the record warmth, click here.
