The year will end with yet more record warmth in parts of the Southeast, particularly Florida, before the long and record-shattering mild spell, which peaked during Christmas Week, finally comes to an end as more seasonable air occupies the eastern half of the U.S. to start 2016.
It was the warmest Christmas Day on record in New York City, though not many creatures may have been stirring when the new record of 66 degrees was established just 31 minutes after midnight. This followed a record-shattering Christmas Eve that brought the city's warmest daily low temperature ever recorded in the month of December; the low of 63 for Dec. 24 was also warmer than lows on 30 of the 145 Independence Days (July 4) on record in the Big Apple since 1871.
Dozens of other cities established record highs each day since Christmas Eve and many also had daily lows warmer than any previously measured for those dates. The mild weather meant that most areas east of the Rockies did not experience a white Christmas.
Below we have a look at the forecast, followed by perspective on how warm this December has been so far.
Warm Weather Pattern Starting to Shrink
Forecast Highs Compared to Average
(MORE: Colder Weather Pattern Ahead)
Record Highs Set Since Dec. 21
Here is a look at some of the record high temperatures that have been set in this latest round of widespread warmth that began Dec. 21.Wednesday (Dec. 30): Tampa, Florida, tied a daily record high (84 degrees), the seventh straight day tying or breaking a daily record. During this streak, they have tied the all-time December record (86 degrees) two straight days (December 25 and 26). Other daily record highs tied or set include Naples, Florida (88 degrees), Miami, Florida (84 degrees), Tallahassee, Florida (80 degrees), Jacksonville, Florida (84 degrees), Daytona Beach, Florida (85 degrees), Key West, Florida (83 degrees), Savannah, Georgia (83 degrees), and downtown Charleston, South Carolina (78 degrees).
Tuesday (Dec. 29): Daily record highs were set at several locations across the Southeast, including Naples, Florida (88 degrees), Orlando, Florida (87 degrees), Jacksonville, Florida (84 degrees), Miami, Florida (84 degrees), Savannah, Georgia (83 degrees); Charleston, South Carolina (78 degrees).
Tampa, Florida tied their record high (84 degrees) and this marked the seventh day in a row in which a daily record high temperature was either tied or broken at that location.
Tuesday (Dec. 29): New daily record highs were established at Melbourne, Florida (87 degrees); Orlando and Daytona Beach, Florida (both 85 degrees); Key West, Florida (84 degrees); Jacksonville, Florida (83 degrees); Florence, South Carolina (82 degrees); New Bern, North Carolina (80 degrees); Norfolk, Virginia (79 degrees); St. Simons Island, Georgia (79 degrees); Fayetteville, North Carolina (79 degrees); Hatteras, North Carolina (76 degrees); in addition, Ft. Lauderdale's Hollywood Airport tied an all-time warmest December daily low temperature of 78 degrees, set during three straight days Christmas week (Dec. 23-25).
Monday (Dec. 28): Daily record highs were reported at Columbia, South Carolina (80 degrees), Jackson, Mississippi (77 degrees), Louisville, Kentucky (68 degrees), Miami (84 degrees), Savannah, Georgia (82 degrees), and Tupelo, Mississippi (73 degrees), Knoxville, Tennessee (76 degrees); and Kingsport, Tennessee (73 degrees).
Key West, Florida, recorded its warmest low temperature for the entire month of December, only dipping to 79 degrees.
Sunday (Dec. 27): Daily record highs were established at Savannah, Georgia (80 degrees); Wilmington, North Carolina (79 degrees); Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee (76 degrees); Raleigh, North Carolina (76 degrees); Atlanta (75 degrees), Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (74 degrees); Morgantown, West Virginia (72 degrees); Philadelphia (65 degrees); Providence, Rhode Island (61 degrees); and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (59 degrees).
Saturday (Dec. 26): Daily record highs were set at Fort Myers, Florida (87 degrees); New Orleans (83 degrees); Greenville, Mississippi (81 degrees); El Dorado, Arkansas (80 degrees); Houston (80 degrees); Memphis (80 degrees); Atlanta (77 degrees); Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (76 degrees); Bowling Green, Kentucky (73 degrees); Huntsville, Alabama (72 degrees); and Bluefield, West Virginia (64 degrees).
Christmas Day (Dec. 25): Portland, Maine, hit 62 degrees, marking the first time any site in the entire state of Maine has recorded a temperature at or above 60 on Christmas Day.
While Portland may not ultimately be the site that cinches the new record for Maine, it was among several communities that held the previous state record of 57. Portland hit 57 on Christmas Day in 1888, but several other locations hit the 57-degree mark just last Christmas in 2014.
Naples, Florida, hit 89 to not only break its Christmas record but also tie its all-time December record high.
Statistically, based on the length of weather records and the margin by which the Christmas Day record was broken, the most significant daily high temperature record set this Christmas Day was at Woodstock, Vermont, where a high of 68 shattered by a 16-degree margin the previous Christmas record of 52 set in 1900. According to NOAA, the Woodstock cooperative observation site has 122 years of weather records, and has recorded a high temperature on Christmas Day on 106 of those years.
Based on preliminary data, new Christmas Day record highs included Harlingen, Texas (88 degrees); Fort Myers, Florida (87 degrees); Tampa and Orlando (both 86 degrees); Houston (83 degrees); New Orleans (82 degrees), Savannah, Georgia (82 degrees); Jacksonville, Florida (82 degrees); Fayetteville, North Carolina (81 degrees); Augusta, Georgia (81 degrees); Tallahassee, Florida (81 degrees); and North Charleston, South Carolina (80 degrees).
Among cities topping out in the 70s, new Christmas Day records were established at Norfolk, Virginia (79 degrees); Mobile, Alabama (79 degrees), Richmond, Virginia (75 degrees); Atlanta (75 degrees); and Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, New Jersey (71 degrees).
Highs in the 60s were good enough for new Christmas Day records at New York City (66 degrees); Providence, Rhode Island (64 degrees); and Concord, New Hampshire (62 degrees). Philadelphia tied its Christmas Day record high of 68.
In addition to all the record highs set, a few locations broke records for the warmest low temperature for the entire month of December on Christmas Day. This includes Key West (79 degrees); Elizabeth City, North Carolina (68 degrees); and Salisbury, Maryland (65 degrees). West Palm Beach, Florida (78 degrees) and Fort Lauderdale, Florida (78 degrees) tied their records for warmest low temperatures for the month.
Christmas Eve (Dec. 24): Albany, New York, soared to 72 degrees to set an all-time high for all of meteorological winter, which runs from the start of December through the end of February. It beat the winter record of 71 last set Jan. 6, 2007, and the December record of 71 set Dec. 29, 1984.
Burlington, Vermont set a new all-time record high for December (68 degrees); this also beat the daily record high temperature by an astonishing 17 degrees. Norfolk, Virginia, also set a new all-time December record with a high of 82.
Daily record highs included Columbia, South Carolina (74 degrees); New York City (72 degrees); Philadelphia (71 degrees); Boston (69 degrees); Hartford, Connecticut (69 degrees); Providence, Rhode Island (69 degrees); Syracuse, New York (68 degrees); and Worcester, Massachusetts (65 degrees).
Records for the warmest low temperature in the month of December were set at New York City (63 degrees), Philadelphia (62 degrees) and Washington, D.C. (60 at Reagan National Airport), among others.
Wednesday (Dec. 23): Buffalo (61 degrees); Cleveland (64 degrees); Detroit (58 degrees); Pittsburgh (64 degrees); Indianapolis (64 degrees - tie); Milwaukee (58 degrees); Muskegon, Michigan (62 degrees); Moline, Illinois (60 degrees); Tallahassee, Florida (82 degrees - tie); Traverse City, Michigan (57 degrees);
Tuesday (Dec. 22): Nashville (70 degrees); Memphis (70 degrees tied).
Monday (Dec. 21): St. Louis (67 degrees tied); West Plains, Missouri (69 degrees); Springfield, Illinois (64 degrees); Peoria, Illinois (60 degrees tied); Naples, Florida (87 degrees tied).
December Record Warmth So Far
According to preliminary data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), at least 5,007 record daily highs were tied or broken across the U.S. during the first 29 days of December. An additional 6,387 record-warm daily low temperatures have been set during the same time period.By comparison, just 242 daily record lows and 327 additional record cool highs were set in the same time frame.
Record Temperature Tracker
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