Not feeling like Christmas temperature-wise heading into the holiday

It was a foggy start to Christmas Eve across parts of the commonwealth thanks to a bit of clearing north of a frontal boundary that was stalled out across the south central part of the state. Visibility was down for a period of time and the clearing allowed for quite a spread of temperatures early with upper 30s up north and low 50s under some overcast down south. We did manage to squeeze in some sunshine for Christmas Eve and this helped afternoon highs to remain well above average for the time of the year with most locations topping out into the low to mid-60s, which is a solid 20 degrees above average for this time of the year. This very mild air isn’t going anywhere heading into the holiday Thursday.

A wave of energy will slide along the stalled out front early Christmas morning so it should be a wet Christmas instead of a white Christmas with a few scattered showers expected from time to time for the holiday. Oh if only it was colder as we’ll have some moisture around but it will clearly fall in the liquid form. While it shouldn’t be a wash-out on Christmas, you’ll need the rain gear from time to time if you are going to be out and about for any reason. It will be a good day to just hang inside with family and friends enjoying the holiday for sure.

Looking ahead to Friday and into the upcoming weekend, look for more of the same as the unseasonably mild air stays locked into the Ohio Valley. Another wave of energy will slide through the region to close out the week so more showers will be possible as afternoon highs reach the mid-60s once again so keep the umbrella with you if you are out doing gift returns and exchanges on Friday. Our best day may be on Saturday as temperatures surge all the way into the upper 60s even with some scattered cloud cover hanging over the region. It may be the rare late December day that feels great to be outdoors so take advantage of it if you can!

A shift back to winter in our weather pattern is on the horizon as we head into the final days of 2025. A more legitimate cold front will slide into the area late on Sunday, bringing a chance of rain and storms followed by a shot of more colder air into the early part of next week. The biggest change is that the data is showing a slower arrival of the front so temperatures should manage to reach the low-60s again on Sunday afternoon. Scattered showers and some thunderstorms will be possible on Sunday evening ahead of the front before the colder air arrives into Monday morning. The cold air may catch up to the departing moisture so a few snow showers are looking more likely early Monday, especially into the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. Afternoon highs will be noticeably colder with highs struggling to get out of the 20s on Monday as the chilly air settles in and sets up shop for a few days. Merry Christmas and be safe!