Christmas Eve forecast: Mild East, snowy West
While the eastern U.S. enjoys record warmth, much of the West will deal with cool, snowy conditions on Christmas Eve.
East: Temperatures Thursday across most of the eastern U.S. will be more like spring than December as highs soar into the 70s as far north as southern New England. Showers and thunderstorms will accompany the warmth, especially in the Southeast and the Appalachians. Flooding is possible in the Southeast.
West: Some of the coldest temperatures will again be the western U.S. on Thursday. High temperatures will only be in the 20s and 30s for much of the northern and central Rockies. Heavy snow is forecast to fall in the Cascades and Rockies. Most of the Southwest and California will be clear but cool.
Central U.S.: Skies will be mostly clear in the Plains on Thursday, though temperatures will be quite varied, from the chilly teens, 20s and 30s in the northern Plains to the mild 60s, 70s and 80s in the southern Plains.
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Weather history for Dec. 24: In 1963, Memphis dropped to its all-time record low of 13 degrees below zero. In 1983, Chicago fell to 25 degrees below zero, its coldest December temperature on record.