New daily high temperature records set across the East and South
From Albany, N.Y., to Worcester, Mass., Christmas Eve 2015 was one for the books.
Local records for daily high temperature, many in place for decades, fell as temperatures soared into the high 60s and low 70s across the East, including in New Jersey. In addition to being all-time highs for Dec. 24, the mercury was up to 30 degrees higher than average for that date Thursday in the Garden State.
Even in what was the coolest part of the state yesterday, High Point, the daytime high still reached into the low 60s. Far more common, however, were the highs in such disparate corners of the state as Jersey City, New Brunswick, Toms River and Trenton, all of which cracked the 70-degree mark.
The unseasonable warmth persisted into Christmas Day, when the daytime high in New York City was 64 degrees, matching the record set in 1982, according to Accuweather.com. The high in Newark reached 65, falling short of the record for Christmas Day set in 1964, when the mercury hit 69 degrees. In Trenton, the Christmas Day high was 67 degrees, just shy of the all-time high of 68, also set in 1964. Atlantic City, New Brunswick, High Point and Hackensack all recorded temperatures in the mid 60s as well.
Here's a list of a mere 64 cities that tied or set record highs today....doesn't even include ones in the South. pic.twitter.com/WOWjCJQkHy
-- Glenn Schwartz (@HurricaneNBC10) December 25, 2015
Those warm visions of Santas in shorts may be just a memory as soon as next week, however, as temperatures return to something closer to the seasonal average for the early winter in the Northeast. Forecasts show a 60 percent chance of sleet and snow in Sussex, Warren, Middlesex and Somerset counties Monday and Tuesday, and a similar wintry mix elsewhere in the state.
Before Christmas Eve's expected record-breaking heat, New Jersey was already on pace to shatter the average temperature record for December, last set in 2006. This year's quirky weather is being blamed on El Nino, a warming of Pacific Ocean waters occurring every few years that historically plays havoc with normal weather patterns.
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook