Record-high temperatures, cross-country storm forecast this holiday weekend
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on December 24, 2023
(NEW YORK) — A white Christmas may not be a reality for a vast majority of Americans this holiday season.
Record-high temperatures are possible for multiple regions around the United States for the Christmas holiday, while other regions could be hit with heavy rain.
Here’s what to expect for weather conditions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:
Many regions will experience mild temperatures
The Upper Midwest is going to have a very warm Christmas Eve, forecasts show. Some places will see the warmest-ever temperatures recorded in 150 years of record keeping.
On Sunday, Christmas Eve, records may be broken in some places, like Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the record high is 46 degrees from 1957 and the forecasted high this year is nearly 10 degrees higher than that record, in the middle 50s.
States like Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota are also forecast to reach the 40s and 50s.
Other places like Duluth, Minnesota; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may break high temperature records, as well.
On Christmas Day, Green Bay will be near a record high with temperatures nearing 50 degrees.
New Year’s weekend is also looking quiet for much of America.
Cross-country storm could bring flooding rain to some regions
A cross-country storm that started bringing snow to the Rockies and rain to the desert Southwest on Saturday has now moved east, with heavy rain expected in the Midwest and South on Sunday and Monday.
The line of heavy rain stretched from the borders of Canada to Mexico on Sunday morning, moving straight through America’s Heartland.
Regions near the Missouri-Kansas border, including Kansas City, may see flooding on Sunday, with more than 3 inches of rainfall possible there.
Later on Sunday and overnight into Monday, cities from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, could experience flooding, with more than 3 inches of rain forecast there.
On Christmas morning, Florida’s panhandle will be under flood threat. Heavy rain will span into Georgia, as well, and into South Carolina through the day. Total rainfall accumulation across the Gulf Coast is expected to be 2 to 3 inches with some local areas seeing 4 to 5 inches, forecasts show.
The rain for this cross-country storm will reach the East Coast on Tuesday and the Northeast later Tuesday and through Wednesday.
The rain is expected to bring few issues besides wet roads and some ponding possible.
There will be some lingering showers in the Northeast on Thursday, with lots of dry time, too.
On New Year’s weekend, rain is possible on the West Coast, especially from Northern California to Washington.
Which regions will see snow for Christmas?
Snow was falling from North Dakota to South Dakota and through the Nebraska panhandle into Colorado on Sunday morning, with the heaviest snow coming down in Nebraska and Colorado.
A blizzard warning spanned much of Nebraska and into South Dakota on Sunday morning.
On Sunday and Monday, parts of northern and central Nebraska are forecast to receive total snow accumulations of 8 to 18 inches, with winds gusting as high as 55 mph. This will lead to whiteout conditions on roadways, along with snow drifting, which will make accumulations appear even greater in size. Power outages are possible.
In eastern Nebraska, for the Omaha area, total snow and sleet accumulations between 2 inches and 9 inches, and ice accumulations around a light glaze are possible. Winds could also gust as high as 45 mph. These conditions will begin late Sunday and continue through Christmas Day.
On the back side of the cross-country storm, heavy snow is possible across the plains of South Dakota and Nebraska. Snow accumulations may total 6 to 12 inches, or more, in parts of Nebraska and South Dakota by the end of Tuesday.
Snow will still be coming down in the Plains on Tuesday, with possible ice issues forecast in northern Minnesota.
Parts of New Mexico and Arizona have already recorded over half a foot of snow, while places in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah have recorded up to 6 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
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