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This could be the 'warmest Christmas of your lifetime': Cities in central and Eastern US to see record-breaking temperatures

Meteorologists are forecasting a 'blowtorch' for Christmas week in the US
More than 80 sites will be within three degrees of record for Christmas Eve
On Christmas Day more than 50 sites across the US will be near record

Published: 21:35 GMT, 21 December 2015 | Updated: 22:00 GMT, 21 December 2015

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Don't get your hopes up for a winter wonderland anytime soon.

After weeks of unusually warm December temperatures, meteorologists are now forecasting a 'blowtorch,' for Christmas week in the United States.

Not only is a white Christmas unlikely for many states east of the Rockies, but meteorologists are saying it could be the warmest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on record for many cities.

Don't get your hopes up for a winter wonderland anytime soon. After weeks of unusually warm December temperatures, meteorologists are now forecasting a 'blowtorch,' for Christmas week in the United States. Meteorologists are saying it could be the warmest Christmas Eve or Christmas Day on record for many cities

AN UNUSUALLY WARM DECEMBER

In the first 19 days of December, more than 2,600 daily record high temperatures were either met or broken across the Lower 48 states.

This uncharacteristic warm weather is due to jet stream activity, which dipped southward and caused a brief cool down this past weekend.

The jet stream is now heading back north across the eastern states, making room for milder air.

As high pressure flows clockwise in the western Atlantic, southerly winds will bring warm air from the tropics northward.

A 'blowtorch' is a term used jokingly by meteorologists to describe the type of warm pattern that has recently swept through, according to Weather.com.

On weather maps that compare normal temperatures with the current warms, the patterns look much like a scorch mark.

According to Weather.com, more than 80 sites from Maine to Michigan, and south to the Gulf Coast and Florida, will be within three degrees of a record high temperature for Christmas Eve.

If you live in the eastern or central United States, Friday could be 'one of the warmest Christmas Days of your lifetime,' The Weather Channel reported Sunday.

On Christmas Day, a cold front may bring down some temperatures in the Northeast, but the morning will still be very mild.

Meteorologists have forecasted that more than 50 sites across the U.S. will be within three degrees of the Christmas Day records.

Across the Plains and the East Coast, temperatures will climb between 10 and 20 degrees above average.

At night, temperatures could stay 15 to 35 degrees above average.

While the warm weather may seem like a blessing for holiday travel, meteorologists are saying it will come with low clouds and rain, making for potential disturbances on the road and at airports.

On Christmas Day, a cold front may bring down some temperatures in the Northeast, but the morning will still be very mild. Meteorologists have forecasted that more than 50 sites across the U.S. will be within three degrees of the Christmas Day records

THE RECORD HIGHS THAT COULD BE BROKEN ON CHRISTMAS EVE
CITY	DECEMBER 24 DAILY RECORD
Portland, Maine	53 F from 1957
Boston	61 F from 1996
Syracuse, New York	58 F from 1965
Philadelphia	64 F from 2014
Washington, D.C.	69 F from 1933
Charlotte, North Carolina	71 F from 1982
New York City	63 F from 1996
Atlanta	72 F from 1984

While the warm weather may seem like a blessing for holiday travel, meteorologists are saying it will come with low clouds and rain, making for potential disturbances on the road and at airports. Forecasts also warn that severe thunderstorms may sweep through from the South, up to Ohio Valley

With the high temperatures and humidity this Christmas week, forecasts also warn that severe thunderstorms may sweep through from the South, up to Ohio Valley.

In the first 19 days of December, more than 2,600 daily record high temperatures were either met or broken across the Lower 48 states.

This uncharacteristic warm weather is due to jet stream activity, which dipped southward and caused a brief cool down this past weekend.

The jet stream is now heading back north across the eastern states, making room for milder air.

As high pressure flows clockwise in the western Atlantic, southerly winds will bring warm air from the tropics northward.

Across the Plains and the East Coast, temperatures will climb between 10 and 20 degrees above average. In the first 19 days of December, more than 2,600 daily record high temperatures were either met or broken across the Lower 48 states