December should be wetter than usual in the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service.

Precipitation could fall as rain or snow, with temperatures expected to be about normal for the month.

Normal highs for December fall from 44 degrees at the start of the month to 39 degrees at the end. Normal lows fall from 32 to 28 degrees.

Normal precipitation for December is 1.13 inches.

Temperatures in November were slightly warmer than usual for most of the Mid-Columbia, according to data from the weather service.

Two new daily temperature records were set at Hanford, where the Hanford Meteorological Station keeps records back to 1945.

A record high of 66 degrees was recorded Nov. 5. A record also was set Nov. 19 when the low was 50 degrees, the warmest on record for the date.

In addition, the low of 46 degrees on Nov. 4 tied the record for the warmest low temperature recorded for that date.

In the Tri-Cities, the temperature averaged 44.9 degrees for the month, which is 1.8 degrees above normal.

Much of the the higher-than-usual average was because of overnight lows that averaged 2.9 degrees above normal at 38.4 degrees. Highs averaged 51.4 degrees, which was 0.8 degree above normal.

The warmest temperature of the month in the Tri-Cities was 71 degrees on Nov. 5. The coldest day was Nov. 26, when the temperature fell to 28 degrees. It was one of six days when the temperature fell below freezing, according to the weather service.

At Hanford, the highest temperature in November was the 66 degrees on Nov. 5 and the lowest was 20 degrees on Nov. 11, according to data from the Hanford Meteorological Station.

Precipitation in the Tri-Cities totaled 1.07 inches for the month, which was 0.07 inch above normal. Precipitation fell on 14 days with 0.23 inch of precipitation recorded on both Nov. 12 and 21.

Precipitation for the year through November totaled 8.07 inches, which is 1.47 inches above normal. Since October, the start of the water year, precipitation has totaled 2.23 inches, which is 0.63 inch above normal.

At Hanford, precipitation in November totaled 0.8 inch.

The strongest wind gust in Kennewick for the month was 44 mph on Nov. 19. At Hanford the strongest gust was 51 mph the same day.

-- Annette Cary: 582-1533; acary@tricityherald.com