Many students experienced frigid temperatures and snowy scenery during break, but Thanksgiving in Charleston was a bit more mild.

Dalias Price, local weather observer, said a slight flurry of large snowflakes fell on the city two days before Thanksgiving. He said several inches of snow covered certain areas in the upper part of Illinois.

“November, on the average, gets one inch of snow,” Price said. “It escaped us this time.”

December usually averages about 4 inches of snow, and Price predicted an adequate amount of precipitation this month. Even in a milder winter, Charleston could experience heavy snow because the air is more moist, which creates precipitation.

Price also predicted snow for the holidays.

“We’ll probably have a white Christmas,” Price said. “One year in four it snows on Christmas day, and every other year, there’s snow already on the ground. So, the chances are 50 percent.”

As far as the plummeting temperatures in Charleston, Price said the last several days have been colder than average.

The temperature Sunday morning was 13 degrees, marking the coldest morning since last February, Price said. The rest of the week should be moderate with daytime highs in the 40s and possibly the low 50s. The average temperature for December in Charleston is 32 degrees, Price said.

Some experts indicate El Nino may create higher-than-average temperatures for the rest of the month, but Price said it’s hard to say how cold it will get.

“It is December — one of the truly winter months,” he said.