2011–12 North American winter

The 2011–12 North American winter by and large saw above normal average temperatures across North America, with the Contiguous United States encountering its fourth-warmest winter on record, along with an unusually low number of significant winter precipitation events. The primary outlier was Alaska, parts of which experienced their coldest January on record.

2011–12 North American winter
Temperature map of the United States on an unusually warm winter day, January 31, 2012
Seasonal boundaries
Meteorological winterDecember 1 – February 29
Astronomical winterDecember 21 – March 20
First event startedOctober 27, 2011
Last event concludedJanuary 21, 2012
Most notable event
Name2011 Halloween nor'easter
  DurationOctober 28–November 1, 2011
Seasonal statistics
Maximum snowfall accumulation32 in (81 cm)
(Peru, Massachusetts)
Total fatalities43-49 total
Total damageUnknown

While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, there are two definitions of winter which may be used. Based on the astronomical definition, winter begins at the winter solstice, which in 2011 occurred late on December 21 (early on December 22 in EST), and ends at the March equinox, which in 2012 occurred on March 20 (March 19 in CDT and EDT). Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 29. Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months, with some variability.

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