Illinois is on track for unseasonably warm weather this Christmas, with temperatures potentially approaching record highs across much of the state.
Forecasts show highs climbing into the 60s and even the 70s on Christmas Day. Areas like Alton and Edwardsville could reach between 72 and 75 degrees, while Jacksonville may see highs in the upper 60s to near 70.
Forecasters recently adjusted temperatures slightly downward due to a frontal boundary that could drift south later this week.
“This has the effect of sloshing the front back southward again on Thursday, potentially to a position near I-70,” the National Weather Service in St. Louis said. “Once again, temperatures north of the front will be more limited by slightly cooler air and greater potential for cloud cover, while south of the front it warms back into the 70s again. The positioning of this front will play the key role in whether our climate sites reach record highs for Christmas Day.”
AccuWeather meteorologists say a northward bulge in the jet stream over the central U.S. is driving the dramatic warmup. Just a week or two ago, a weakening polar vortex pushed bitterly cold air south from Canada.
“Close to two dozen states, from parts of the Rockies to portions of the Appalachians, northward through much of the Plains and part of the Midwest, are forecast to experience temperatures that are 15 to 30 degrees above the historical average by Christmas Day,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said. “At this level, the warmth will be comparable to late April or early May.”
The unusually warm pattern is expected to hold through Saturday. However, forecasters say a strong cold front arriving Sunday should bring a sharp cooldown.
“Guidance is in strong agreement that a deep trough will dig out of the Pacific Northwest and into the central U.S. by Sunday with a strong cold front bringing a shift from very warm to much cooler weather,” the St. Louis NWS said. “There remains some uncertainty on the positioning of the trough and how cold the incoming air will be, but confidence is high that this will end the anomalous warmth.”
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