At least five U.S. cities this week will experience the warmest average temperatures they’ve had since at least 2019 during the same time period.
Data from Processed Webdata by Pricing Culture sourced from the National Weather Service (NWS) and provided to Newsweek shows that the average temperature for week of December 9 to 15 in Sacramento, California; San Francisco, California; and Park City, Utah, is the highest since 2019. Meanwhile, temperatures in Anchorage, Alaska, and Washington, D.C., are the highest they’ve been in at least five years for December 9.
The data comes as nearly the entire U.S. is expecting warmer-than-average temperatures over the next six to 10 days, according to a temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center. Above-normal winter temperatures will persist through at least December 22, according to the eight- to 14-day outlook.
Longer-term outlooks in the three- and four-week range show above-average temperatures will likely impact the western half of the U.S., the far Northeast and Alaska.
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Today’s above-average temperatures
With an average of 46.5 degrees Fahrenheit, Washington, D.C.’s temperature on Monday was 3.2 degrees above the five-year historical average, the highest deviation since 2019.
Anchorage is seeing the highest temperature for December 9 since 2019 with a high of 42 degrees.
“The current weather situation in Anchorage, AK is characterized by unseasonably warm temperatures, with a deviation of 14.5°F from the 5-year historical average,” a statement with the data said. “This deviation represents a significant 70.73% increase from the average temperature on December 9th.”
Cities with above-average temperatures this week
In Park City, the average temperature this week will be 29.29 degrees, nearly 5 degrees above the five-year historical average, according to the data.
“This week’s weather in Park City, UT has been significantly warmer than the 5-year average,” the statement said. “The data suggests that the warmer temperatures this week are a deviation from the typical cold temperatures experienced in Park City during this time of year.”
In California, Sacramento and San Francisco will see higher temperatures than normal this week. At an average of 47.85 degrees, it will be the warmest December 9-15 since 2019, when the average temperature was 53.17 degrees. San Francisco has the highest average temperature this week since 2019 at 54.21 degrees, 1.56 degrees higher than the five-year average.
The widespread warm temperatures come after a frigid late November for many northern states where wind chills made it feel below zero.
Warm temperatures could impact a winter storm in the Northeast set to begin later on Monday, NWS Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Brian Hurley told Newsweek. Up to 4 inches of snow is expected in the Adirondack Mountains, but Hurley said a warming trend could transition the snow to sleet and then rain before the storm is finished.
