PROVIDENCE, R.I. — News flash: December was cold.
In this case, it was colder than usual.
The average temperature in Providence for the month of December was 31.1 degrees, which is 3.2 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service.
That's not a record, or even one of the 10 coldest Decembers for Providence, according to the Weather Service, whose records for Providence go back to 1904. The official Providence temperature is measured at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick.
The chilly December followed a record-warm fall. The average temperature in Providence this fall was 57.8 degrees, which is 3.5 degrees warmer than normal, according to the Weather Service.
The Weather Service defines fall as September, October and November, though the astronomical season includes the first three weeks of December. The months of September and October were warmer than normal, and then the cooling trend started in November, which was was cooler than normal.
The Southern New England cities of Worcester, Hartford and Boston were also colder than normal in December, the Weather Service says.
Those whose memories weren't numbed by the cold might recall that December in Rhode Island actually didn't start out so bad. The month got off to a pleasant start, with the temperature reaching 54 degrees on Dec. 1; 59 on Dec. 5; and 60 degrees on Dec. 6, which was the warmest day of the month.
The temperature actually hit 55 degrees on Dec. 23.
And then the temperature didn't get above freezing for the last six days of the month. The coldest day was the final day of the year, Dec. 31, when the temperature dropped to 4 degrees.
So far, January has picked up where December left off. On New Year's Day, the average temperature was 7.5 degrees, 22.5 degrees below normal. The average for Tuesday was expected to be about 13 degrees.
The temperature should moderate Wednesday and Thursday, but snow is expected to accompany the warmer weather, and then another spell of arctic air will move into the region.