Christmas barbecue, anyone? Yuletide temperatures will be warm and, maybe, historic
A white Christmas? Keep dreaming.
Families across the metro-east might be able to spend Christmas Day gathered around the outdoor barbecue grill this year, as temperatures could be the highest they’ve been in 130 years across the region.
The National Weather Service has forecast a high of 66 degrees in St. Clair County for Wednesday, with plenty of sun.
“As tomorrow dawns, clouds could get thicker, then retreat, going from just a few to clear skies throughout the day,” said Melissa Mainhart, a meteorologist with the service, on Tuesday.
Depending on where you live in Madison County, you could be seeing anywhere from 64 degrees on the eastern side of the county to 66 degrees closer to St. Louis, Mainhart said.
The St. Louis record high is 71 degrees on Dec. 25, 1889. Wednesday’s forecast calls for 70 degrees in the city, which Mainhart said is “well within the realm of reasonable error.”
“If you get a little less cloud cover or a little less or more wind to mix in... there is a chance we could reach 71 degrees in the St. Louis area,” she said. “We’re close to breaking the high, so we’ll just have to see.”
Monroe and Randolph counties will similarly see temperatures in the mid-60s, with highs of 65 and 66 degrees, respectively.
To be considered a white Christmas, there needs to be at least 1 inch of snow on the ground by 6 a.m. Christmas Day, the National Weather Service said. The last white Christmas was in 2017.
Mainhart said winds coming from the south that are pumping warm air into the region and a jet stream sitting north of it are to blame for the higher temperatures this year.
“That happening over the course of several days causes those temperatures to rocket up 20 to 30 degrees from normal.”
This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 12:01 PM.
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