ORLANDO, Fla. – Christmas Day cold be warmer than Thanksgiving in Central Florida. Let that sink in.
Highs on Thanksgiving Day were in the mid 70s.
Leading up to Christmas week, a large ridge of high pressure looks to build across the Gulf and Caribbean.
At the same time, the polar jet stream looks to retreat north back into Canada.
The European ensembles suggest much higher-than-normal heights at about 15,000 feet. That would equate to unseasonable warmth at the surface.
While it’s too early for specifics, a large-scale weather pattern change featuring warmth across the eastern two-thirds of the country, including Florida, appears likely.
The temperature anomaly forecast highlights air temperatures approximately 5 degrees above normal.
The normal high temperature in the Orlando area is 73 degrees.
In the nation’s heartland, temperatures could surge to more than 30 degrees above normal.
Long-range model guidance suggests the mid 70s will be around for Christmas Eve in Central Florida.
We’ll be in the same ballpark, if not even a touch warmer Christmas Day.
This type of pattern would also promote dry weather in Florida.