The first half of December featured the coldest mornings of the season as thermometers dropped to the upper teens to low 20s around the mid-point of the month.
As a result, daily temperatures trended nearly 10 degrees below average through the first two weeks of December.
However, just in time for the Christmas Holiday travel week, temperatures will soar well above average, and Metro Atlanta may experience a Top 3 Warmest Christmas on record for the area.
Forecast high temperatures will land in the 70-74 degree range for Wednesday through Saturday.
Morning lows will be quite mild as sunrise temperatures settle into the low to mid 50s. Instead of hot chocolate, an iced peppermint mocha may be a better idea!
However, this unseasonable warmth will be rather short-lived.
A blast of cold air will arrive late Sunday through early Monday morning, and temperatures will drop considerably for the week leading into the New Year!
The animation below illustrates the change from abnormally warm temperatures around Christmas to abnormally cold temperatures the weekend after.
Morning lows will drop into the 20s for the final days of December, and afternoon highs will be in the 40s as we ring in the New Year.