It's December 1... so it's time to start gearing up for the Christmas Holiday Season. Okay, maybe I just need a blog topic for this week, but I was asked a few questions about the upcoming winter.

First, let us reflect on this past November... (courtesy: National Weather Service - Green Bay)

Wausau-

Average temp for the month in Wausau was 40.2 degrees. This places November 2009 as the third warmest November on record. In addition, November was the second LEAST snowiest Novembers on record.

Rhinelander-

Average temp for the month in Rhinelander was 38.2 degrees. This places November 2009 as the second warmest November on record. It was also the ninth driest November on record.

Here's the over/under for temps above and below normal for Wausau 2009:

Jan   -7.2

Feb   +.1

Mar   -1.2

Apr    -.4

May    -1.4

Jun    -1.5

Jul    -5.4

Aug    -2.6

Sep    +3.0

Oct    -5.4

Nov    +7.8

Not that many of you didn't notice, but it was a rather cool summer this year. Wausau had two 90 degree days, they were back to back in June (23 and 24).

Now, with El Nino still brewing in the Pacific Ocean, that still points to a warmer than normal winter... but again, let me say this AGAIN... just because it is warmer than normal, doesn't mean that it won't snow!

You can read more about it on our special section here on WSAW.com- www.wsaw.com/feature/misc/70215962.html and there's even more Winter information available: www.wsaw.com/feature .

Now, I'm already starting to get questions about the possibility of a White Christmas. We're still over three weeks away, so let's first show you the probability of a White Christmas:

Now, will we see one?  It will certainly be cold enough the next two weeks to get the ground to freeze and support snow, but unless you live in the Lake Effect Snow Belts up north, snowfall accumulation looks "minimal" at this time through Dec. 10 or so.

Thoughts?