Weather Blog: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like... September!
By Steven Strouss
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Dreaming of a white Christmas?
You'll have to head to western Iowa. A trip that will take over 16 hours of driving time from Philadelphia, and a distance over 1,000 miles away. A Winter Storm there will bring 1-3" of snow to the region.
Back in our area, it's beginning to look a lot like September!
Christmas is here. A time for temperatures in the 70s, short sleeves and tee times. That is the gift from Santa this holiday season as temperatures soar to record levels throughout much of the Eastern United States. Thousands of records have been shattered from Wisconsin to Florida since Monday and many more records will be broken today.
Every day this month has been above average in Philadelphia. December 2015 is now on pace to be the warmest December ever, in the city, since record keeping began in 1872. As of today, we are 11.9 degrees above the monthly average and that number will likely climb higher. So far this December, ten days have been at or above 60 degrees and that has never happened before.
The maximum temperature of 70 degrees in Philadelphia on Wednesday broke the previous record of 66 set 1990. As of this morning, the mercury reached 71 degrees which broke the previous record for Christmas Eve set last year at 64 degrees. The Christmas Day record of 68 degrees is in jeopardy after standing for more than 50 years. The Eyewitness Weather team is forecasting a high of 69 degrees, in Philadelphia, this Christmas. We expect a brief cool down on Saturday but Sunday's forecasted high of 70 degrees will also bury the record of 64 set on that date in 1949.
If those stats don't grab your attention here is something else to consider. Our normal high for December 24th is 42 degrees and all of our forecasted low temperatures through the weekend will be above that.
Football fans will enjoy mild weather this weekend. The Eagles take on Washington at the Linc Saturday night and the kickoff temperature will be in the low 50s. You can watch the game right here on CBS3!