Record Warmth Predicted For December In Westchester

Written by KARA SEYMOUR (Patch Staff)

Are you hoping for a white Christmas?

You most likely won’t get it in Westchester County.

Many forecasters are predicting record warmth for December due to a strong El Nino pattern.

The Washington Post reports this month’s mild conditions could be one for the record books. It may be one of the warmest Decembers on record for New York, according to the Post. Forecasters attribute the mild weather to a strong El Nino pattern.

According to the long-term forecast by AccuWeather for the region, daytime temperatures will remain in the mid to upper 40s and into the 50s throughout the entire month.

No wintry weather is forecast for the county in December, according to AccuWeather’s monthly forecast. As of right now, temperatures in the 30s during the daytime will be a rarity if it happens at all, especially on the Shoreline and southern parts of the county.

That forecast is in line with predictions by Michael Ventrice, a seasonal forecaster at WSI, who says December 2015 is expected to feature “near record warm weather” in the northern U.S.

“The highly anomalous warmth in December that is anticipated to develop across North America is attributed to weather patterns driven by the strongest El Nino observed in our data archives,” Ventrice said.

If AccuWeather is correct, Santa may have to ditch his red suit for a rain coat. Temperatures on Christmas Day are predicted to be in the low 50s throughout the county, and clouds and rain are possible, the long-term forecast shows.

Meanwhile, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says there is an 80 percent chance that warmer than average temperatures will stick around at least through mid-December.

Image credit: NOAA