Spring in December: Record warmth forecast for eastern U.S.

Spring in December: Record warmth forecast for eastern U.S.

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY12:57 p.m. EST December 11, 2015

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(Photo: Getty Images)

The eastern United States is likely to bask in record warmth over the next few days.

Temperatures will be more typical of October than December, according to AccuWeather, as highs soar into the 60s and 70s, which are 20 to 30 degrees above average.

"Areas across the East will have several days in a row of record or near-record warmth through Monday," AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

Up to 60 cities could set record highs both Saturday and Sunday, Weather.com predicts.

For example, the high temperature in normally frosty Pittsburgh on Sunday is predicted to be in the low 70s, the National Weather Service said. The average high in the Steel City in mid-December is 40 degrees.

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USA TODAY El Nino vs. the Polar Vortex: So far, it's El Nino in a wipeout

Through Monday morning, temperatures are not expected to drop below the freezing mark for most areas east of the Mississippi River with the exception of parts of Maine and possibly the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to Weather.com.

This weekend's weather is continuing the warmth of what's been a remarkably mild December. So far this month, nearly 700 warm records have been set across the nation, compared to only about 120 cold records, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Some of the highlights of the weird weather this month: Ski areas are getting nervous in the Northeast, a confused southern bird has been spotted in New York City, and Buffalo has yet to see snow — the city hasn't gone this late in the year without a snowfall since the 19th Century.

There are no signs of any major blasts of bitterly cold air reaching the U.S. in the next few days, as the arctic jet stream remains well to the north in Canada, Weather.com reports.

The warmth is primarily due to the impacts of El Nino, which brings milder-than-average weather to much of the nation.

While the East basks in warm sunshine, a front is forecast to bring flooding, severe weather and snow to the central U.S. this weekend. Snow is likely from the central Rockies to the northern Plains, while heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected in the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weathe...-usa/77149040/

2015 will be warmest year on record

Boston: Returning warmth to break records on Christmas Eve

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
December 20, 2015; 5:47 PM ET

No white Christmas is in the cards for the Boston area this week with record-breaking warmth making a comeback.

As high pressure shifts eastward, the door will open for milder air to soar back into the mid-Atlantic early this week and replace the chill that made the weekend feel more like December should.

The milder air will hold firm all of this Christmas week, allowing heavy winter jackets and gloves to stay tucked away in closets and dashing all hopes of a white Christmas.

Record-breaking temperatures possible by midweek

http://brightcove01.brightcove.com/4...bId=1612802193


Temperatures will soar 15 to 25 degrees above the normal high of near 40 F into Christmas.

Christmas Eve is expected to be the warmest day of the week with the day's record high of 61 Fahrenheit from 1996 set to be surpassed.

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While Christmas Eve will still be mild, the southwest-facing beaches will likely not be able to warm up as much as the rest of the region due the wind blowing directly off the cool ocean.

Humid conditions will further have residents taking a double look at the calendar on Christmas Eve.

The passage of a cold front will ease the extreme warmth for Christmas Day, but temperatures should still climb well into the 50s.

While winter gear will not be needed, residents and visitors will want to keep an umbrella handy this week. Rain is expected to fall at times Tuesday into Wednesday with a couple of showers persisting into Thursday.

RELATED:
Detailed Boston Forecast
Boston Interactive Weather Radar
AccuWeather.com MinuteCast® for Boston

"Accompanying the rain will be episodes of fog and a low cloud ceiling at times, which could cause travel delays," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

Drier air should filter in for Christmas Day, but the return of persistent cold will not follow suit.

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"The extreme warmth of late will certainly be muted after Christmas Day," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee, "but above average temperatures continuing through the end of the month will set the stage for December monthly temperature records to be broken in some areas of the East."

The warmest December on record in Boston was in 2006 with 41 degrees. As of Dec. 19, the average temperature was around 46 degrees.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weathe...o-bre/54318710

Merry & mild: Warm Christmas Eve temperatures to break records

Record is 53 at Portland Jetport

UPDATED 7:19 PM EST Dec 20, 2015

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WMTW Image

PORTLAND, Maine —Our warm December is on track to continue through the holiday week and temperature records will likely be broken.

Watch the latest video forecast
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The jet stream will move well into southern Canada, allowing potentially record warmth to move into New England for Christmas Eve and Christmas.

High temperatures will reach near 60 degrees on Christmas Eve in Portland. The record at the Portland Jetport for Dec. 24 is 53 degrees.

Christmas Day will also be warm, in the low 50s.

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Track temperatures hour-by-hour

There is no recorded snow at the Jetport for the season.

The latest-ever recorded first snowfall for the season is Jan. 16.

Stay with WMTW News 8 and Maine's Total Weather as the holiday nears.

http://www.wmtw.com/weather/merry-mi...cords/37058334

http://www.alipac.us/f19/no-global-w...months-326504/

Hundreds of warm records are in jeopardy this week across the Eastern U.S.

By Angela Fritz December 21 at 2:19 PM

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Warm high pressure will dominate the weather in the Eastern U.S. this week. (weatherbell.com)

Unusual December warmth is building across the Eastern U.S. this week, poised to break hundreds of record warm temperatures through Saturday.

A broad trough of low pressure is slowly pushing east across the Lower 48 this week, spinning up smaller low pressure systems along the way. Out in front of these systems, winds from the south will push warm air north through the Eastern U.S. — along with persistent clouds and the chance of showers nearly every day for many along the East Coast.

Temperatures could be running 35 degrees above average for this time of year in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast later this week.

In Upstate New York, temperatures are forecast to be as much as 40 degrees above average.

While many record highs will surely be broken, another 250 record warm lows are also in jeopardy during the week’s spring-like warm nights.

A handful of record highs are at risk on Tuesday in Tennessee, Mississippi and Florida. Then on Wednesday, the National Weather Service is forecasting highs that would either break or come within one degree of the record high temperature at 45 major weather observing stations.

Forecast highs in Florida and southern Texas are hot in the mid to upper 80s. Highs in the 70s are forecast across the Southeast and the southern Mid-Atlantic, including Richmond, Va. Unusually mild temperatures in the 60s are forecast all the way north into Michigan, Ohio and Upstate New York.

Record highs that are in jeopardy are circled in the forecast maps below.

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Record highs in jeopardy are circled in white. (weatherbell.com)

Thursday — Christmas Eve — will likely be the warmest day of the week up and down the East Coast. From Florida to Maine, more than 50 record highs are in jeopardy on Thursday.

Forecast highs are in the 80s across nearly all of Florida and southeast Georgia.

Highs in the 70s will push north past the Mid-Atlantic, and highs in the 60s are forecast into New Hampshire.

Record highs for Dec. 24
Boston — 61 degrees (1996)
New York City — 63 degrees (1996)
Washington, D.C. — 69 degrees (1933)
Richmond — 71 degrees (1988)
Raleigh — 75 degrees (1931)
Atlanta — 72 degrees (1964)

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(weatherbell.com)

By Friday — Christmas Day — a cold front is expected to push through the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, but temperatures will still be running above average in these areas. More than 20 record high temperatures could be broken on Friday, some of which could fall just after Midnight on Christmas, depending on the timing of the cold front.

If the cold front comes through later than expected, Thursday’s warmth could linger into the early morning hours of Friday, leading to the potential for some of the cooler record highs to be broken. The Weather Channel notes that two cities could see new record highs on Christmas that are set in the early morning hours — New York City and Providence.

Record highs for Dec. 25
New York City — 64 degrees (1982)
Providence — 63 degrees (1964)
Asheville, N.C. — 67 degrees (1955)
Atlanta — 72 degrees (1987)

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-ap...rds.png&w=1484
(weatherbell.com)

Temperatures are forecast to rebound on Saturday, climbing into the 60s and 70s as far north as Ohio, West Virginia and the D.C. region. Over 20 record highs are in jeopardy on Saturday.

Record highs for Dec. 26
Dayton, Ohio — 59 degrees (1922)
Louisville — 64 degrees (1982)
Nashville — 67 degrees (1933)
Atlanta — 72 degrees (1987)
Birmingham — 72 degrees (1911)
Houston — 78 degrees (2005)

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(weatherbell.com)

In Washington, D.C., the record highs are low-hanging fruit on Christmas Eve — plenty cool enough that unless there’s a dramatic change in the forecast, they’d surely be beaten.

Record highs for Dec. 24
National – 69 degrees (1933)
Dulles – 66 degrees (1982)
BWI – 65 degrees (1990)

Records for Christmas in Washington, D.C., are set a bit higher, and do not look like they are in jeopardy at this point, unless the Christmas cold front comes through much, much later than expected.

Record highs for Dec. 25
National – 72 degrees (1964)
Dulles – 71 degrees (1964)
BWI – 72 degrees (1964)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...e-eastern-u-s/

1st day of winter feels like spring

Audrey Puente has your weather forecast.
POSTED:DEC 21 2015 12:30PM EST
UPDATED:DEC 22 2015 11:45AM EST

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Many New Yorkers are enjoying unseasonably warm weather in December.

Spring flowers are blooming and ice at the rinks is melting.

The forecast for the first full day of winter calls for rain and temperatures in the low 60s.

http://static.lakana.com/media.fox5n...406_ver1.0.jpg1st day of winter feels like spring

The forecast on Christmas Eve calls for a high of nearly 70 degrees.

This follows a mild few weeks with the exception of a couple of cool days here and there.

The mercury is expected to rise as the week progresses.

http://www.fox5ny.com/news/59568142-story

Temperatures May Hit 80 on Christmas Eve in North Carolina

Christmas in Palm Beach County: Santa will need AC for his sled

Updated: 7:41 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015 | Posted: 1:50 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, 2015
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By Kimberly Miller - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

South Florida remains in the heated grip of a high pressure system this holiday week as much of the Northeast sees weather extremes pumping warm temperatures up to 30 degrees above normal.

From Maine to Florida, toasty temperatures forecast for Thursday and Friday threaten to shatter record highs and push Santa to shed his red suit in favor of swim trunks.

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National Weather Service forecast

National Weather Service forecasters are predicting a high temperature of 84 degrees in West Palm Beach on Christmas Eve and in the low 80s on Christmas Day.

Just 36 Christmases dating back to 1888 have had temperatures of 80 degrees or above in West Palm Beach and only four have reached 85 or higher.

“Typically this time of year you can turn your AC off and have your windows open, but that’s not going to happen,” said Dan Kottlowski, senior meteorologist with the Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather, about South Florida.

“It’s unbelievably warm.”

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JOE RAEDLE

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - DECEMBER 21: Timmy McGovern dressed as Santa Claus walks along the beach passing out candy canes and ... Read More

And it’s not just Florida feeling the heat.

Washington, D.C.’s normal high temperature for Dec. 25 is 44 degrees, but forecasters are predicting a high closer to 70.

Boston’s high temperature for Christmas Day is normally around 39 degrees, but will be about 60 this year. And New York City is normally 40 degrees this time of year, but may be nearly 20 degrees above normal at 59.

The unusually warm temperatures are the result of a bump in the subtropical jet stream, which is taking the warm river of air through Texas and up across the Northeast U.S., Kottlowski said. The subtropical jet stream separates colder air to the north from warm southern air, and is usually situated farther south. A high pressure system anchored on top of Bermuda is helping steer the subtropical jet stream, Kottlowski said.

“We had to cancel our ski trip to Snowshoe,” said Wellington resident Sam Edwards, who was supposed to be hitting the slopes in West Virginia this week with his family.

Instead Sam, his wife Lora, and their daughter were enjoying the 600-ton sand sculpture of a Christmas tree in downtown West Palm Beach on Monday where the temperature hit a high of 83 degrees.

“We’re really bummed, but we’ll go out on the boat and make the best of it,” Lora Edwards said.

Eastern ski resorts got a blast of cold air over the weekend that allowed them to make snow, but are expected to be warm again this week. Snowshoe had about 42 of its 256 acres open for skiing Monday, which included ten out of 42 runs.

“We’ve had some cool days, but we’re looking for winter to stick around,” said Sarah Wojcik, director of public relations for Ski Vermont, which has eight of 20 resorts open. “Overall, December has been above average for temperatures and that has affected our ability to make snow.”

Wojcik said all of Vermont’s resorts are usually open by mid-December.

Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Baltimore/Washington D.C. forecast office, said Christmas Eve in D.C. could see a high of 75 degrees — 31 degrees above normal.

But not everyone is loving the spring-like temperatures in the nation’s capital.

“My northern friends and I would like the cold and the snow,” Sheffield said. “But we have a couple people in the office from the South and they are loving this.”

In West Palm Beach, normal daytime high temperatures for late December are 75 degrees, but that’s going to be closer to what overnight lows will look like this week.

West Palm Beach has not dipped below 60 degrees this season.

That hasn’t happened since 1994 when Mother Nature waited until Dec. 12 to crank the air down into the 50s.

The normal overnight low in West Palm Beach for late December is 58 degrees.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/...eed-ac-/nppYH/

Scores of eastern U.S. cities to shatter Christmas Eve warm weather records

By Jason Samenow December 23 at 12:37 PM

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Temperature difference from normal 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve. (WeatherBell.com)

The warm air surging up the East Coast on Christmas Eve will prove nothing short of historic. Dozens of records will fall, some by very large margins.

Temperatures at or above 70 degrees will span from Florida all the way into southern New England covering some 1,200 miles and 20 percent of the Lower 48.

In many places in the East, temperatures will run some 30-40 degrees above normal.

The warmth in a few locations will be so anomalous that low temperatures will challenge existing records highs.

The map below shows all of the locations where records highs are in jeopardy, from Florida to Maine.

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Forecast high temperatures from NWS on Christmas Eve. Circled locations are forecast to be within a degree of record highs. (WeatherBell.com)

Here are a few highlights:

* The temperature in Buffalo is forecast to be near 60 degrees at midnight, the start of Christmas Eve, breaking its record high for the date in the middle of the night.

* Boston is also forecast to break its record high the moment the clock strikes midnight.

* The forecast low in New York City (Central Park) on Christmas Eve in the low 60s would match its record high of 63 from 1996. By the afternoon, it should reach the low 70s, shattering the record by ten degrees.

* Washington, D.C. may challenge records highs not only Christmas Eve, but also on Christmas Day, and Dec. 27.

[Christmas weather records in D.C. likely to be toppled in freakishly mild December]

* Much of Florida will see record-breaking temperatures well into the 80s.

The anomalous warmth forecast Christmas Eve fits right into a December that will rank as warmest on record for much of the northeastern U.S. into the Mid-Atlantic.

The warmth is indirectly linked to the very strong El Nino event in which heat from abnormally warm waters in the tropical Pacific is infused into weather patterns over North America. In this case, the flow of air around high pressure centered over Bermuda is pumping deep tropical air straight up the East Coast.

The El Nino event along with sustained climate warming from greenhouse gas emissions will result in 2015 becoming the warmest on record globally by a large margin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ather-records/

Gee, I was hoping for a string of cold nights, below 32 degrees, typical for the northeast USA area so the pollens, molds from fallen leaves, mosquito larvae, etc would die off.

Warmer temps also bring fungi, bacteria - oh our eco-system, oh our health!

Extended warm weather could cause problems

BY CARLET CLEARE MONDAY, DECEMBER 14TH 2015

Rochester, N.Y. - December's record-breaking temperatures may feel nice, but there could be issues if snow does not arrive soon.

"If we start to get into January and we still have mild temperatures, then we're going to start to have concerns about the health of a lot of plants," said Bob King, agriculture specialist at Monroe Community College. "We also have concerns with insects and pests and diseases having the ability to carry over through the winter."

King says flies lay eggs around this time, and the freezing temperatures kill them - so there's not an infestation of them in the spring. But because of the warm weather, that's not happening.

He also says plants grow in response to warmer weather and longer periods of sunlight. Some plants may be fooled into budding out, like some lilacs in Highland Park, and would be susceptible to freezing temperatures.

"Although we're not crazy about snow, we understand we need snow, we have to have snow, we having to have freezing temperatures and then snow, ideally," said King.

People who suffer from allergies may also be impacted if there is no freeze, and trees bloom. King says if there is a bloom and then a late freeze, the pollen counts are much lower and that would be easier on allergy sufferers.

http://13wham.com/news/top-stories/e...cause-problems

Christmas Eve warm weather is one for the record books in N.J.

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Temperatures will be far warmer than normal on Thursday in New Jersey and elsewhere, according to AccuWeather.com. (AccuWeather.com)

By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on December 24, 2015 at 7:10 AM, updated December 24, 2015 at 9:18 AM

It's Christmas Eve on Thursday, not Memorial Day, even if the temperature feels more like late May than December.

Highs will climb into the mid 70s across much of New Jersey this afternoon, which is typical for the time of year when Memorial Day falls.

Records for Dec. 24 have already been set before the sun rises at 7:18 a.m. Temps were in the high 60s in many spots as of 7 a.m. — 69 in Newark and Trenton, 68 in Millville and 68 in Belmar, according to the National Weather Service.

Besides the warm weather, we'll contend with a chance of showers and thunderstorms for much of the day. Isolated strong storms with gusty winds are also possible.

There's a chance of more rain this evening as temperatures cool to the 50s.

On an average Dec. 24, temperatures range from the upper 20s to the low 40s in New Jersey.

Christmas Day won't be nearly as warm, though it will still be far milder than normal. There's a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms as highs reach the mid to upper 60s.

The weekend could be wet as well — there's a threat of rain both days. Highs will be in the 50s on Saturday and the 60s on Sunday. Saturday offers the greater chance of precipitation, the NWS says.

http://www.nj.com/weather/index.ssf/..._record_b.html