By AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec. 27, 2021 1:16 PM EST | Updated Dec. 27, 2021 9:07 PM EST
The final month of 2021 has been summerlike throughout much of south-central and southeastern United States, but AccuWeather meteorologists are warning residents to not pack away their winter jackets just yet. While many areas are on the verge of shattering their all-time December average temperature record, an influx of sharp, cold air could make conditions a lot more seasonable in the opening days of 2022.
Following the warmest Christmas on record for many areas, the October-like temperatures will be locking in place through the end of the month. Daily temperature departures will rise 15-30 degrees Fahrenheit above average in much of the region, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, while some records that have stood for over 120 years could be challenged.
In both Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, daily high-temperature records from 1889 could fall on Wednesday, with a forecast high of 73 F set to rewrite or challenge the cities' records. In both Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, daily records from the 1970s and 1980s will face fierce competition this week as well.
Forecast highs for the remaining days of 2022 will also close the record-warm month in Texas on a hot note. With highs forecast to be near or above record levels most days through the last day of the year in San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Brownsville, Texas, to name a few, afternoon temperatures will spend multiple hours well into the 70s and lower 80s.
Persistent warmth of this magnitude has this month on pace to set a high mark amongst all Decembers that have been tracked over many decades. In addition to the Texas cities of Austin, Houston and Brownsville, there are many others in the state and over the central U.S. in general where the all-time warmest December may be recorded this year.
Amarillo, Texas is currently poised to beat its December record so far by 5 degrees with an average of 48.5 degrees as of Monday.
There are far too many locations in the Central states that are likely to set the warmest December on record or at least finish in a top five. There are some strong candidates as far north as Omaha, Nebraska, and St. Louis. Omaha was running at least 1 degree above the record as of Monday. Chicago may finish this month within a degree or so of the all-time December record of 39 degrees set in 2015. As of Dec. 27, Chicago had not yet received its first snowfall of 0.1 of an inch or more this season. Typically, the first snowfall in the Windy City occurs on Nov. 18. Two storms could prevent the snowless record from being broken by Thursday.
After all this warmth, some in the region may find themselves asking 'So when does the winter actually start?' Well, some signs may suggest soon.
The northward bulging jet stream, which has been responsible for the warmth in the region, will soon flatten out and plunge southward for a time in January. With it will come the mass of cold air that has left parts of North America frozen this week. In the northern Plains, for example, Pastelok said temperatures may struggle to get above zero early this week and will be 25-30 degrees below average.
In the Southeast, it may not be enough to correct the temperature abnormalities throughout the Southern states, but the difference will be noticeable in some locations.
"While we expect some waves of sharply colder or at least cooler air to dip into portions of the southern Plains and the middle Mississippi and Tennessee valleys during the first half of January, temperatures are still likely to remain considerably above average in the Southeast," Pastelok said.
Even though only a diluted amount of cold air may slide southward, it can bring a significant change to some locations that have been experiencing an incredibly warm December.
Temperatures are forecast to take the plunge over portions of the southern Plains on New Year's Day. In Oklahoma City, temperatures are forecast to crash into the 30s on Saturday then plummet into the teens Saturday night. Following highs in the 60s to near 70 and just hours after setting all-time December warmth, temperatures may settle to 10-20 degrees below the average high in the upper 40s.
Farther east, in Memphis, and farther south in Houston, the reality check is not expected to kick in until Sunday, when temperatures will be slashed by 20-40 degrees with a major adjustment back to near average.
AccuWeather meteorologists will also be monitoring for the possibility of some wintry precipitation to go along with the major temperature adjustment from parts of the central and southern Plains to the Ohio and Tennessee valleys during the first week or two of January.
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"Some temperature fluctuations between warm and cold in the zone from the southern Plains to the middle-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys during the first half of January," Pastelok said, adding that a warmup may occur in this zone around Jan. 4 or 5, followed by a big drop in temperature into the second week of the month.
A strong northwest to southeast temperature contrast zone will set up from the central and southern Plains to the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic region during the first half of January.
The temperature contrast will set up an active storm track. On the storm's colder side, snow is likely to fall, while flooding rain and severe thunderstorms can occur in the warm zone. In between, episodes of ice are possible, Pastelok explained.
People in the potential battle zone are encouraged to enjoy the warmth while it lasts as the weather is likely to turn colder at times during the first couple of weeks of January. And, even though the episodes of colder, more seasonable air may be brief, they can hook up at the wrong time when storms roll through and yield wintry precipitation in some areas of the South Central states. Nothing close to a repeat of the February 2021 record cold, snow and ice are forecast at this time.
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