Utah to break record for warmest Christmas Day in state history

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah tied the record for the warmest Christmas Day in state history before the sun came up.

In the very first hour of Christmas, Salt Lake City had already tied the record for the warmest Christmas ever recorded, with temperatures hitting 59 degrees. This record was set exactly 70 years ago in 1955, according to the National Weather Service.

By the afternoon, the city is forecast to surpass the record, reaching a high of 62 degrees.

The forecast for St. George unsurprisingly shows even warmer temperatures with an expected high of 67 degrees.

This record-breaking weather is not surprising, as Christmas Eve also surpassed the previous recorded high, and this month marks Utah’s warmest December on record.

While there will not be snow in Utah valleys for the holiday, scattered storms are expected to bring wind and rain throughout the northern and south-eastern parts of the state, according to KUTV Meteorologist Sean Kelly. However, the Interstate 15 corridor should be relatively dry in the afternoon.

Windy conditions will blow through the state today and tomorrow, with some reaching speeds of over 50 mph.

MORE | Unseasonably warm December forces Olympic qualifying event to relocate out of Utah

GetAttachmentThumbnail.jpg

While fall temperatures have been stubbornly holding on into the winter, Kelly said cold temperatures could be just days away.

A cold front is forecast to reach the state by the weekend, with a possibility of snow by Saturday evening. Temperatures are also expected to drop into the twenties and thirties on Sunday and Monday, with potential highs sitting around or below freezing.

___