Christmas Eve temperatures broke records along the East Coast

Those looking for some extra excitement on Christmas Eve could be seen wind surfing in Lake Ontario, while others opted for relaxed walks through nature.

Temperatures are expected to be in the mid- to upper 40s through Wednesday, when the thermometer is expected to pass into the 50s. (70 degrees) than in Phoenix (64 degrees), according to the National Weather Service.

Although Christmas day didn’t break a record, Christmas Eve did, but not for temperature. Buzzing air conditioners replaced crackling fires throughout the East Coast as high temperature records shattered on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The official whitest Christmas on record was December 25, 1951, when 13 inches of snow was recorded on ground late in the day.

Today: Expect a high between 62 and 66 degrees.

Some meteorologists are pointing to El Niño – in which warming ocean waters in the tropical Pacific alter weather patterns worldwide – as the primary cause for such higher-than-average temperatures.

Dozens if not hundreds of record temperatures are likely to be set. Its forecast high in the mid-70s is comparable to its high recorded this past July 4.

The forecast for Christmas Day has a high temperature of 47 degrees, with a slight chance of rain in the morning.

The unseasonably warm weather is the result of a shift in the jet stream, said Mitch Gilt, a hydrometeorological technician with the National Weather Service office in Binghamton.

A map by ClimateReanalyzer.org and the University of ME shows just how much of the nation is experiencing above-average temperatures, with many areas, in red, about 20 degrees higher than normal. Weather along the East Coast should help Santa get to his destination easier as well. Some saw it as a good opportunity to tee off at the Deer Creek golf course in Ajax. Some areas above 6,500 feet could receive more. Ellison described “very deplorable” weather conditions at the time, but didn’t specify that the crash could be blamed on these heavy rains.