Mele Kalikimaka in Middle Tennessee: Christmas Will Be Dang Near Tropical

NASHVILLE, TN — Don't wake up Christmas morning expecting a blanket of snow in Middle Tennessee. In fact, it might be perfect weather to do a little grilling.

The National Weather Service in Old Hickory is forecasting Christmas Day highs in the low 70s across most of the region, with even the northern part of the Midstate hitting the high 60s, with mid-60s forecast for the Cumberland Plateau.

That would be, of course, unusually warm for this time of year. The average Christmas Day high in Nashville is 46 and just five times since records have been kept has the mercury hit 70 or higher on Christmas. The record high for Christmas Day is 73, set in 1889. Last year's high on Christmas was also curiously warm with a high of 69. If the high reaches 70 on Christmas, as expected, it will be the first time since 1982, when the high was 72.

Header image by Irena Jackson via PublicDomanPictures, illustration from NWS