It’s a warm one, Mr. Grinch: Atlanta tops Christmas Eve temperature record
Short sleeves on Christmas? That’s right. With record-high temperatures possible, you‘ll want to pull out some spring outfits if you’re spending the holiday in metro Atlanta.
It’s “gonna be one of our warmest Christmas Days on record,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “(You) might be wearing shorts. … That is how warm it is going to be.”
Temps climbed into the high 70s on Christmas Eve, setting a new record for the date. That is more than 20 degrees above the average 55-degree high for this time of year — not the best weather for sipping hot chocolate by the fire, at least not comfortably. But it’s great weather for a Christmas walk or hike.
Around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Atlanta reached 78 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That surpasses a record high of 73 set in 2016 for Christmas Eve.
The projected high Thursday is 75 degrees, which would match the record set in 2015 for Christmas Day. That kind of warmth would also mark the city’s eighth Christmas with temps above 70 degrees since record-keeping began in 1878.
The last time Christmas Day temps reached the 70s was also in 2016, when highs rose to 74 as families gathered.
The great news for fans of milder weather is that the unusual heat is expected to stay with us through the holiday weekend.
“All the cold air, it’s bottled up in Canada,” Monahan explained. A strong area of high pressure over the Gulf is keeping temperatures up and rain away, he said.
The lack of rain will make for great travel weather, though you might not want to be stuck in a car on such unusually warm December days. But you’d be in good company. With statewide gas prices averaging $2.74 per gallon — 17 cents lower than last year — more than 3 million Georgians are expected to hit the roads for holiday celebrations, according to the AAA auto club.
Rain isn’t totally out of the picture, though. Some isolated locations could see a few sprinkles in far North Georgia over the next few days, the Weather Service says. The best chance for rain comes Sunday as a strong cold front is expected to dip south and over the metro area.
Overnight lows are expected to plunge into the 20s and 30s to kick off next week, and highs then could stay in the 40s, according to the NWS. That would make for a chilly start to the new year.
— Staff writer Caroline Silva contributed to this article.
About the Author
Rosana Hughes is an award-winning bilingual (fluent in Spanish) journalist with a passion for explanatory public service journalism. She has been a reporter on the breaking news team since January 2022.
