December 24, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Any hopes of a white Christmas that the weekend chill brought will be dashed in the eastern United States, with this Christmas Eve shaping up to be the warmest on record in many communities.
Warmest Christmas Eve on record to unfold across eastern US
Record high temperatures, including some record warm minimum temperatures, are likely to be set from Florida to Maine.
According to AccuWeather Chief Long Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, "On Christmas Eve, daily record highs may be broken in the morning, followed by monthly record highs in the afternoon."
Records in the major cities of the Eastern states date back to the middle 1800s.
Another northward bulge in the jet stream will be responsible for the warmth in the East this week.
The jet stream is a strong river of air high in the atmosphere that guides weather systems and separates warm air to the south from cold air to the north.
Christmas Eve will feel more like Easter with highs ranging from the 50s in Maine to the 70s in the mid-Atlantic and the lower 80s in parts of the Southeast. That equates to highs that are 15 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.
"Temperatures could touch 80 as far north as the mid-Atlantic states," Pastelok said.
Widespread record highs will not only be challenged but also shattered in many towns and cities. The potential exists for records to be topped by more than 10 degrees from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia to New York City and to Burlington, Vermont.
"It appears high temperatures will be in the 70s on Christmas Eve in New York City, which is about 35 degrees above normal for the date," AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger said. "It was also unusually warm last Christmas Eve in 2014, when Central Park reached 58 F for a high."
Subtropical air will be drawn northward along with the warmth and will make it feel humid to some people.
Along with erasing any hopes for a white Christmas, the warmth will mean residents can leave the heavy winter jackets, hats or mittens at home when heading out for last-minute shopping or to Christmas Eve services.
The only chance of a white Christmas will be in the Tug Hill region of New York state, east of Lake Ontario, and northern Maine, where old snow may remain on the ground.
The warmth will come despite some clouds and a couple of showers in the area. Those wanting to take advantage of the warmth by caroling, taking a walk, firing up the grill or engaging in any other outdoor activity should plan to keep an umbrella handy.
The passage of a cold front will ease the extreme warmth in the Northeast for Christmas Day, but temperatures will still be well above normal for the holiday. In the Southeast, Friday will likely be a repeat of Thursday.
Since temperatures will be so high during the overnight hours on Thursday, record highs for Christmas day may be set before dawn in a number of locations.
According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee, the return of persistent cold will not be the theme for the remainder of 2015.
"The extreme warmth of late will certainly be muted after Christmas Day, 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," he said. - AccuWeather.
Scores of eastern U.S. cities to shatter Christmas Eve warm weather records
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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.
* 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. - Washington Post.
New Yorkers seen wearing sandals, shorts during freak heatwave... ice cream sales up in Times Square
It is officially winter now, but in the meadow we can’t build a snowman, and we’d be stuck dashing through the rain in a one-horse open sleigh. As CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock reported, the warm weather just two days ahead of Christmas has had people doing things differently. They’ve been wearing sandals and shorts as part of their winter wardrobe. Indeed, this December is one for the record books – and by a large margin.The warmest December on record before this year was in 2001, where the temperature averaged 44 degrees, but this month, it is over 50. “It’s actually kind of weird,” said Maria Lupianez of Bayonne, New Jersey. “I feel like it’s not Christmas.”
No, to paraphrase the 1951 classic penned by Meredith Willson and sung famously by Perry Como, it’s not beginning to a look a lot like Christmas. It’s not looking particularly like Christmas – anywhere you go. Many who spoke to CBS2 said the springlike warmth isn’t festive.
“Well, not Christmas shopping, for sure,” said Cary Hooper of Hell’s Kitchen. Even Christmas tree sales seem to have been slow.
“I don’t know if the weather has affected it or not, but it’s been pretty slow,” said Shalyn McClintock of Mr. Lumberjack. But it seems ice cream is the hot ticket on wish lists.
“It’s crazy,” said James Healey, owner of the Ben & Jerry’s franchise in Times Square.
“This warm weather is, you know, a dream come true.” Healey owns two Ben & Jerry’s locations, and said business is up 26 percent over last December. He has bumped up supplies and staffing. “Typically in the winter, we cut hours back, but this winter, we’ve had a lot of employees very happy that they’re getting a lot more hours,” Healey said. Tomas Hidalgo said he would normally be in Florida at this time of year, but the bicycle business is booming too. “Because of the weather I stay, because we’re making better money than last year,” said Hidalgo, owner of Liberty Bicycles. Dave Werner, golf superintendent of Overpeck Golf Course, has also been kept busier than usual. He said he has to mow “about every other day.
Typically this time of year, we just don’t have to mow at all.” Werner said it has been a blockbuster month. For Christmas Eve on Friday, the course was already fully booked – likely because record warmth is expected. “It’s been great; it’s been awesome weather. I love it,” said Sid Advani of Ridgewood, New Jersey, who said he has played golf several times this month. “Generally, I have my snowpants,” added golfer Deepak Rana of Ridgewood, New Jersey.
But while snow may be annoying after a long winter in February or March, some people would rather see it in late December. “I’m just kind of sad that there won’t be snow,” said Terron Moore of the Upper West Side. The forecast calls for temperatures over 70 on Christmas Eve. - CBS.
Orlando to reach 86°, topple 1924 record...
People who are spending the holidays in Central Florida are getting ready to see possible record-breaking high temperatures over Christmas Day, according to the News 6 Pinpoint Weather Team.The forecasted high on Christmas Day is expected to be 86 degrees, which would break the record of 85 degrees set in 1924.
"This is the warmest it's been," said Mason Navitt, who visits Orlando for Christmas every year. "It's usually sunny but 10 degrees colder."
isitors to Orlando's International Drive flocked to the water parks that were open Wednesday as temperatures hovered in the low 80s with high humidity.
"It's hot. It's humid. It's sticky," said Mary Kaye, who decided to take her dog for a walk around Lake Eola.
She said it doesn't feel like Christmas, and she wasn't alone in feeling that way.
"It's too hot. Too humid," said Marie Hubner. "I, at least, want some cooler weather around the holidays."
Utility companies tell News 6 they're experiencing increased demand with the higher temperatures.
A spokesman for Duke Energy said temperatures for November were up 6 percent, but the average bill was up 15 percent.
He expects the amounts on bills to rise as more people run their air conditioners over the Christmas holidays, rather than their heaters. - Click Orlando.
Upside-down weather pattern across US linked to El Nino
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| A car still topped by snow drives down an onramp and past trucks stopped to remove chains after making the drive across Snoqualmie Pass, Wash., Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. A weather pattern that could be associated with El Nino has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow in parts of the West that there are concerns about avalanches. On Christmas Day, it could be warmer in New York City than Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) |
Astrid Rau just baked 16 kinds of Christmas cookies, including a batch in the shape of snowflakes. But she's nevertheless having trouble getting in the holiday spirit, thanks to forecasts that have the temperature in her hometown of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, hitting 72 degrees on Thursday.
"I associate cold with Christmas," the 55-year-old says. "And if it's warm it just doesn't feel quite right to me."
A weather pattern partly linked with El Nino has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow across the West that even skiing slopes have been overwhelmed.
In a reversal of a typical Christmas, forecasters expect New York to be in the mid-60s on the holiday — several degrees higher than Los Angeles.
The mild conditions have helped golf courses in New England do brisk business, but the pattern comes at a steep cost for ski resorts that have closed and for backcountry skiers who confront avalanche risks. And like Rau, many Americans complain that it just doesn't feel like the holidays without a chill in the air.
"It's been a great snow season so far from the Rockies to the higher elevations in the Cascades and the northern Sierras, and it's been the total opposite on the East Coast," said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service.
Big parts of the county are basking in above-average temperatures, especially east of the Mississippi and across the Northern Plains. Record warmth was expected on Christmas Eve along the East Coast, Oravec said.
He laid the credit — or blame — with a strong El Nino pattern, the warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. That's helped drive warm air west to east across the Lower 48 and kept colder air from the Arctic at bay, he said.
In the Pacific Northwest and California, the effects of El Nino haven't really hit yet. They're typically seen in January through March, and the heavy rains and snows in the region are probably not linked to the phenomenon, said Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond.
The winter in the Pacific Northwest is still predicted to be drier than normal, so the series of storms that dumped feet of snow in the Cascades this month and piled the snowpack back above normal, were helpful, he said.
Come summer, farmers and salmon alike will rely on that melting snow.
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| A tow driver attempts to retrieve a stalled car at a flooded park and ride lot on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015, in Mill Valley, Calif. A weather pattern that could be associated with El Nino has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow in parts of the West that there are concerns about avalanches. (Robert Tong/Marin Independent Journal via AP) |
In Washington, authorities have closed the state's main east-west route, Interstate 90, over the Cascade Mountains repeatedly this week due to heavy snows and avalanche danger. Officials closed a sledding hill near Snoqualmie Pass on Tuesday because the storm kept the state Transportation Department from plowing the parking lot. On Sunday, a heavy storm closed Oregon's Mount Ashland Ski Area when it knocked out power.
California is in its driest four-year span on record, and experts anticipate a possible fifth year of drought. Weather forecasters say a strong El Nino weather system could drench the state, but one good, wet winter won't be enough to rehydrate the parched land. A fresh round of chilly rain was expected to hit San Francisco late this week. The same system was expected to drop some 4 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
While ski resorts celebrated a deluge that threatened to drop almost 2 feet of snow in parts of Colorado's mountains, forecasters warned of serious avalanche risks.
An avalanche near the Montana-Wyoming state line on Sunday buried three snowmobilers, killing a 33-year-old North Dakota man. Another avalanche partially buried a ski patrol employee at the Snowbasin resort, about 45 miles north of Salt Lake City, and two snowboarders were caught in a backcountry slide southwest of Breckenridge Ski Area on Saturday. They escaped serious injury.
"We're giving our generally weak snowpack a very large and rapid load, and it's unlikely to be able to hold up," said Brian Lazar, deputy director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Warnings and advisories were posted for much of Colorado's high country, with an emphasis on the risk of large, dangerous slides in steep terrain.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service said the most recent storm had raised the level of Lake Tahoe by about 2 inches since midnight Monday. Officials calculated that that's nearly 6.4 billion gallons of water.
Elsewhere, severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes were forecast for Wednesday in northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, Arkansas and western Tennessee. Tornadoes are not unheard-of in the region in late December, but the extreme weather, driven by warm temperatures and large amounts of moisture in the atmosphere, was nonetheless striking, said Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at Weather Underground.
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| Heavy fog blankets a wooded area, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015, in Sandersville, Miss. A weather pattern that could be associated with El Nino has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow in parts of the West that there are concerns about avalanches. On Christmas Day, it could be warmer in New York City than Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) |
In addition to El Nino, a weather pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation is also helping keep cold air bottled up in the Arctic. Combine that with warm temperatures around the planet from man-made global warming, he said, and you have a recipe for intense weather: "There are a couple of natural patterns at work, and then there's this human-caused component too."
With such balmy temperatures in the Northeast, Pine Oaks Golf Club in Easton, Massachusetts, is probably having its busiest December since it was built more than 50 years ago — a bonus for a club that doesn't count on much winter revenue.
"We've got 65 degrees coming up on Christmas Eve," said Scott Ibbitson, a golf specialist at the course. "It'll be our busiest December day ever." - AP News.
