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

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


(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.


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.

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