Winter? What winter? Temperatures across the eastern half of the country continue to climb and may go beyond 60 degrees by end of weekend

  • 75 per cent of population may have typical September or October weather
  • Mild weather means states east of Mississippi River will set record highs
  • New York and Philadelphia residents will likely experience record highs 
  • High temperatures could stretch across Great Lakes and down to Florida
  • There is no snow in much of Northeast, unlike this same time last time year

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 01:58 EST, 13 December 2015 | Updated: 03:46 EST, 13 December 2015

When winter officially begins in the United States on December 22, there's a chance that much of the country will still be experiencing temperatures that would be more common in mid-to-late fall. 

By the end of the weekend, temperatures across the eastern half of the US may climb above 60 degrees, meaning 75 per cent of the population will have weather typical of September or October.

The mild temperatures mean record highs will be set in many states east of the Mississippi River.

It appears there is at 60 to 70 per cent chance that temperatures remain above normal through December 24th

It appears there is at 60 to 70 per cent chance that temperatures remain above normal through December 24th

By December 10 of last year, many of the Northeast states had snow. This year, that was not the case (right)

By December 10 of last year, many of the Northeast states had snow. This year, that was not the case (right)

Mild temperatures mean record highs will be set in states east of the Mississippi River (New York pictured)

Mild temperatures mean record highs will be set in states east of the Mississippi River (New York pictured)

New York and Philadelphia residents will likely experience record highs and the higher-than-normal temperatures could stretch across the Great Lakes and down to Florida, according to CNN. 

In Washington DC, temperatures were running about 20 degrees above average over the weekend.

By December 10 of last year, many of the states in the Northeast were already covered with snow. 

By that date this year, there was only a scant amount in the top parts of Maine and New Hampshire.

Times Square on December 10
A New Yorker on December 10

Temperatures in New York were high on December 10 (above). The warm weather continued over the weekend

The is a 60 to 70 per cent chance that temperatures are above normal through December 24th, according to the Climate Prediction Center, WTOP reported. 

Given that projection, the odds of a white Christmas in most of the country are not very high.

Cold weather may start entering the eastern US right at Christmas according to some models, but until then many residents can keep their shorts handy and leave their winter jackets in storage.

The warm winter follows an especially mild fall season. 

The fall of 2015 was the warmest autumn on record for the continental United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Temperatures from September through November were 3.3 degrees above average in the US.

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