As travelers reach their destinations, those spending time outside New England and the West Coast will enjoy temperatures well above average, with some communities approaching record highs.
A ridge of high pressure is largely responsible for the mild conditions and abundant sunshine, with temperatures on Christmas Day across the Palmetto State expected to start near 50 degrees and climb into the mid-70s.
Forecast temperatures are generally expected to be 10 to 20 degrees above average but fall just short of records, which are around the 78-80-degree mark.
Much of the state will see mostly sunny skies, with the closest precipitation confined to the Great Lakes region and along the West Coast.
With little precipitation around the nation during the week, the country is on track for seeing one of the least snowiest Christmases on record.
According to data from NOAA’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center, only 18.6% of the Lower 48 states was covered in snow to start the week, but due to the record warmth, the country has been losing snow coverage at a rate of roughly 0.4% per day.
This means that only about 17.4% of the U.S. will have snow on the ground on Christmas Day, which will be close to the 17.6% figure reported on Dec. 25, 2023 - both values well below the 37% average.
Forecast model guidance indicates these well-above-normal temperatures will continue right through the weekend, with the biggest travel problem areas being in the interior Northeast and along the West Coast.
The Los Angeles metro is expected to be home to the country’s worst weather over the holidays as a prolonged atmospheric river event will produce flooding and landslides.
A cold front arriving late in the weekend and early next week over the Carolinas will usher in somewhat cooler air between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but the airmass is not expected to have much staying power.
In fact, temperatures are expected to be back up into the 60s and 70s during the first week of the new year.
NOAA’s latest outlook for January shows temperatures are expected to finish above average for month, leading to a mild winter, which is common during a La Niña event.