...1777... The Continental Army moved into encampment at Valley Forge amidst stormy winds and piercing cold. A relatively moderate winter followed.

...1904... A snow depth of 18 inches was recorded at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 4 inches set in 1896.

...1911... The 24 hour snowfall record occurred in Oklahoma with 22 inches falling at Beaver.

...1924... The Riverside Ranger Station in Yellowstone Park WY reported a low of 59 degrees below zero, a December record for the U.S.

...1957... A tornado, 200 yards in width, killed two persons along its 15-mile path from near Waldo to near Buena Vista in southwestern Arkansas. People from one house were carried 250 yards, and cars were said to have been carried 600 yards.

...1967... A record 83 inches of snow covered the ground at Flagstaff AZ. The heavy snows inflicted great hardships on reservations.

...1973... A big pre-Christmas snowstorm began over Indiana on this day and continued into the 20th. Snowfall totals included 18 inches at Covington, 17 inches at Lafayette and Peru, 14 inches at Fort Wayne, and 12.5 inches at Indianapolis.

...1987... Thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds in eastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 90 mph at Venus TX and Providence LA. Rain prevailed from the Southern Plains to the Middle Mississippi Valley. Small stream flooding was reported around Columbia MO.

...1988... Low pressure and a trailing cold front in the central U.S. brought snow and high winds to parts of the Rocky Mountain Region. Winds in Colorado gusted to 67 mph at La Junta. Thunderstorms along the same cold front produced wind gusts to 65 mph at Kansas City MO.

...1989... High winds and heavy snow plagued the northern and central Rockies. Snowfall totals in Montana ranged up to 12 inches at Lincoln, and wind gusts in Colorado reached 97 mph at Squaw Mountain. Twelve cities in the north central U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Dickinson ND with a reading of 26 degrees below zero. Bismarck ND was the cold spot in the nation with a morning low of 35 degrees below zero.

...1991... The high barometer peaked at 30.74 inches at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 30.71 inches set back in 1906.

...2004... Lake effect snow squalls buried sections of northwestern Indiana with 26 inches falling at Michigan City and 20 inches at Westville.

...2008... 8.8 inches of snow fell at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 5.5 inches, set back in 1945. A snow and ice storm on December 19 affected parts of the U.S. Midwest. Over 220,000 homes and businesses across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio were left without electric services. No fatalities were reported .