Just over a week into December and the temperatures have averaged about 12 degrees above average, and we’ve already exceeded the average amount of precipitation for the month.

Mary Knapp, Kansas State Climatologist explained that through December 8th the average temperature in the area has been 44.5 degrees farenheit and the normal temperature is 32.8 degrees farenheit. But don’t expect the warm temperatures to stick around.

“There’s some signals that we might have a change in that pattern, so it’s kind of like you can’t expect it to stay this way as we go into our winter,” said Knapp.

Winter doesn’t officially kick off until December 22nd.

Looking ahead to winter, December through February, the Climate Prediction Center’s winter outlook for the area is calling for an equally likely chance for above or below average temperatures, but indications are that it will be a wetter than average winter.

“Our only question will be, does it come as snow, or does it come as rain, or freezing rain, and how is it distributed over that three-month period?”

The next chance for snow is this weekend as the National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 percent possibility for snow Saturday night into Sunday.