It’s Christmas Eve, and the forecasted high is 73 degrees with a chance of flooding.
An unusually warm air mass for December coupled with the drenching rains that brought between one and two inches of rain to our area yesterdays means more rain today could produce minor flooding.
A flash flood watch is in effect until this evening for protections of the Washington, D.C. area, to include Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park, according to the National Weather Service. As more rain moves in today, waters in creeks and streams could rise rapidly.
This year Santa Claus will need to trade his heavy coat for short sleeves. Clouds will persist throughout the day, but temperatures will be warm on Christmas Day with highs in the 70s, and high temperatures over the on Saturday in the mid-60s and low 70s on Sunday.
These high temperatures are expected to shatter the record for all-time warmest Christmas in Washington. The warmest on record is 72 degrees set in 1964. It was 70 degrees on Christmas Day in 1982, according to National Weather Service stats.
As for a white Christmas? The typical Christmas Day in our area is cloudy with frosty mornings and lows around 30 degrees. Temperatures normally climb into the mid-40s during the day, according to the weather service.
The coldest Christmas Days in Washington include 1983 when it was 3 degrees, and in 1989 when the temperature only reached 11 degrees. The high temperature on Christmas Day 1980 was 12 degrees, and 5 degrees in 1872.
Christmas Day 2014 wasn’t too cold, either. A pre-dawn cold front moved across the area bringing mild temperatures in the low 60s, with mostly sunny skies. It felt more like Christmas a year before with a high temperature of 33 and a low of 22 and sunny and cool conditions, according to the weather service.
