A near-normal start to December in Ohio gave way to some wide swings at the end of the month.

The USDA says the late-month blizzard followed by a warmer than average pattern did cause some livestock stress and melted snow cover.

That snow melt did help soil moisture levels and parts of the state are now reporting a surplus, but average monthly precipitation was more than an inch below normal, and 64% of Ohio remains at least abnormally dry with 43% reporting moderate drought conditions.

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