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A Tale Of Two Christmases: 1982 and 1983

Posted at 8:55 PM, Dec 24, 2012
and last updated 2012-12-24 20:55:39-05

WEST MICHIGAN — It was the warmest of Christmases, it was the coldest of Christmases, and the (Charles) Dickens of it all was that they occurred one year apart!

1982 — Record warmth occurred on Christmas Day in 1982, and these records still exist 30 years later. The high temperature in Grand Rapids was 65 degrees, Muskegon hit 61, while Lansing soared to 65 as well. Many people were amazed that they were able to go out in a tee-shirt and shorts on December 25.

1983 — It was a much different weather pattern a year later, as a blast of cold air and snow arrived. The high temperature on December 25 in Grand Rapids was 10 above, while Muskegon and Lansing stayed in the single digits. All of these established record cold high temperatures that still exist. It was obviously colder at night. The low in Grand Rapids was 3 below, while Muskegon dropped to 4 above. These are record lows for December 25 that still exist today.

2012 — So far this winter, the lowest temperature in Grand Rapids has been just 20 degrees, and that occurred in late November. We have yet to drop into the teens or even single digits so far.

FORECAST — The latest forecast is just a click away at http://www.fox17online.com