Record-breaking weather has been welcoming the holidays in parts of Canada and the United States.
On Dec. 23 records dating back to the 1940s were broken in some Ontario communities. That trend largely continued the day before Christmas, with some areas within reach of 20C (that’s on the plus side, just to be clear.)
In Toronto it was the warmest Christmas Eve on record, breaking the old record of 12.2C in 1964, even warmer than sunny Los Angeles.
Areas of the Atlantic provinces and Quebec also reached balmy double-digits.
“This December and holiday season have been extraordinarily mild and snow-free,” reads a special weather statement from Environment Canada regarding southern Ontario’s oddly warm weather.
“Travel conditions should be very good for everyone, except for perhaps one special person and a herd of reindeer, who probably prefer a blanket of fresh snow.”
The balmy weather has prompted some golf courses to stay open throughout the holiday season. Officials report they are fully booked and even have long waiting lists in place for Christmas Eve, normally a day when the greens are long out of commission.
Where’s all this warmth coming from? Global News Meteorologist Kate Gajdosik said it’s all because of where the jet stream is currently located.
“In particular, it’s the circulation around the high pressure feature out by Bermuda, funnelling extremely warm air up into eastern Canada,” she explained.
“That drove temperatures today to 16-20 degrees above average.”
You can blame it on El Nino and it’s effects on the jet stream, or on climate change, but clearly it’s causing some confusion, with reports of tulips beginning to make an appearance in Ontario.
White Christmas Eve in parts of BC
On the other side of the country, known for its milder weather, residents woke up to the snow that usually greets Torontonians.
Snow blanketed areas in the eastern Fraser Valley, including Chilliwack and Hope.
Odd weather hits US as well
Parts of the eastern United States are also seeing record-smashingly warm days, areas of New York state and Vermont among them.
WATCH: ‘I’m going to just take my clothes off and just jump in the nearest pool’: New Yorkers enjoy warm temperatures
In New York City the high on Christmas Eve was just shy of what it was on the 4th of July.
WATCH: Santas ‘hang ten’ at Cocoa Beach in Florida
But the weather isn’t all good throughout the continent. The Rockies and the Pacific Northwest have been getting heavy rain and snow, and the South has been hit by deadly tornadoes.
With files from the Canadian Press.
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