Meteorologist Jeff Ranieri

What a few past weeks it has been across the country when it comes to winter weather. The U.S. was rocked with western rain & snow, the Central Plains faced a major ice storm, and the East was pounded with several snow systems.

When the radar lights up, so do my eyes as I usually pack in a moments notice to travel to the latest weather hot spot. In fact, at one point early in the month of December I decided to just keep a bag packed as Mother Nature continued to be relentless with storms. The stops in my journey were numerous in December as ice, snow, and wind storms developed from the beginning of the month. Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and even Upstate New York were all recent stops on a winter that remains in full swing.

Here are some photos of the journey this month:

SLIDESHOW: Jeff Covers The Winter Storms

While I was providing correspondent coverage for the network in the Northeast and Midwest, there was another area that was nailed with tons of snowfall. Denver, Colo., is now back in the TOP 10 SNOWIEST DECEMBERS ever recorded. Since the start of the month, Denver has received over 16 inches of snowfall, putting them in 10th place. They are expected to climb to the top 5 spot by the end of the month with an expected 23+ inches of snow.

Last year was nothing to sneeze at with a 3rd place finish. December 06' , 29.40" was recorded as more than one blizzard left the city paralyzed last December. The snowiest December ever was in 1913 with 57.40" inches of snowfall. Could you imagine air travel with that much snow, no thanks!

I must say this month had the intensity of a hurricane season as it begins to ramp up with storm coverage. If you're reading this thinking about what may be ahead, you can take some ease in the fact that long-term predictions do show a quieter end to the "winter season". This means next month could still be tough, with some relief in early March.

I also had some fun along the way and thought I would share a video just in case you missed the moment. While traveling, I had to leave the family in NYC for the holiday vacation, but somehow my mom managed to find her 5 minutes of fame with me on television. I was totally shocked, a moment I will never forget.

Thanks Matt!