December was one of the warmest on record in the state

Despite all the carols about sun-drenched beaches and snowless Christmas celebrations, December in California is often cool and damp.

Usual.

December 2023 was a major exception — the warmest the state has experienced since 1958, and the fourth warmest since records began in 1895, according to data from the Western Regional Climate Center. Temperatures were on average 4.2 degrees higher than normal.

For most of the year, California was largely spared the record-breaking heat that much of the world was experiencing; the state actually had one of the mildest summers.

Still, there were plenty of unseasonably warm December days, when temperatures in the inland valleys were in the 60s and 70s, says Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA.

“In some places in the Sierra foothills, it looks like this was the warmest December on record,” Swain said. “In other parts of California it was definitely in the top three.”

Fresno recorded its warmest December on record, with an average high temperature of 63 degrees, compared to a normal temperature of 55 degrees, according to data from weather stations. Monthly records were also broken in Long Beach and Redding, as well as Sierra Foothill communities such as Sonora, Groveland and Lemon Cove.

California’s experience was part of a much larger trend across the country. Minneapolis had a record-breaking warm, snowless Christmas and had the warmest December, as did Fargo, ND; Las Vegas; Seattle and Milwaukee.

California’s warm temperatures have led to a smaller snowpack because precipitation is more likely to fall as rain than as snow. From January 8snow cover was 35 percent of what it normally is for that date – a huge change from last January’s immense snow cover, which was built up by a series of storms.

While the state’s reservoirs are still in good shape now, due to extremely wet California in 2023, snowpack will be a key factor in how things fare in coming seasons. Snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada typically supplies about 30 percent of the state’s water supply, replenishing rivers and reservoirs and powering hydroelectric systems that provide the region’s electricity.

Experts say California normally receives half of its annual precipitation from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to Michael Anderson, a state climatologist. But much of that could still fall as rain this year due to warmer temperatures.

The current El Niño weather pattern increases the likelihood of wetter-than-average conditions in California, Swain said. But he added: “There is also much more than a tilt in the odds – in fact a virtual certainty – of warmer than average conditions for this winter in general. That certainly seems to be working.”

Tell us

What are you looking forward to in 2024? Celebrating milestone birthdays, traveling to new places, taking up a new hobby?

Tell us your expectations for the new year at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live.

And before you go: good news

Barbershops in Sacramento are offering free therapy services to Black men under a new program aimed at expanding access to mental health care and removing its stigma. CapRadio reports.

The program, called “Cut to the Chase,” is hosted by two Sacramento barbershops and run in partnership with the Greater Sacramento Urban League, a local nonprofit.

As part of this initiative, licensed therapists organize group sessions in the barbershops every few weeks. The idea, organizers and participants say, is to make mental health care more accessible to Black men by hosting it in a community space that feels safe.

That model has been a success so far, attracting participants of all ages, including a 2-year-old and a man in his 80s.

“What we’re trying to do is help people realize that they’re going through a therapeutic process and they don’t even realize that’s the case,” Ronnie L. Cobb of the Greater Sacramento Urban League told the news station. “One of our biggest initiatives is to soften what therapy is and remove the taboo.”

Thank you for reading. I’ll come back tomorrow. — Soumya

PS Here it is today’s mini crossword.

Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team via CAtoday@nytimes.com.

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