After some dramatic extremes that delivered several frigid mornings and balmy afternoons in Baltimore, December ended over the weekend only slightly warmer and a bit drier than normal, with no snow to speak of. The National Weather Service recorded the month's coldest temperature - just 9 degrees at BWI - on the 20th. That day averaged just 16 degrees, or 20 degrees below normal. It was the coldest day since last January, and the secopnd-coldest December morning since 1989.

The warmest temperature of the month was 62 degrees, reached on Dec. 7. The warmest average daily temperature (49 degrees) was recorded on the last day of December. That was 16 degrees above normal for the date.

The airport enjoyed four days with highs of 60 degrees or more. There were 11 days when overnight lows stayed above freezing. But there were also eight nights with lows in the teens or lower.

Just less than 3 inches of precipitation was measured in December at BWI, almost a half-inch below normal for the month. Heavy rains on the 23rd left more than an inch in the gauge at BWI. But it hasn't rained since. In fact, December delivered measureable precipitation on only two dates since Dec. 11. Only a trace of snow was noted at BWI on the 13th and the 19th, when arctic air invaded the region. But that was enough to make roads slippery for a time before the salt began to work.