Holiday Outlook: Sault's warmest Christmas ever?

The debate about a green Christmas is well behind us as warmer weather and rain arrive at the end of this weekend. The next question is whether or not this will be the warmest Christmas Day since Sault weather records started 77 years ago.

Many locals discuss Christmas of 1994 as a benchmark for a warm, green Christmas. Lore has people playing golf after opening presents that day. The warmest day around Christmas that year was Christmas Eve when it was just over 8°C—Christmas Day cooled off to 7.1°C that year.

Right now, the warmest Christmas on record is in 1982, when it reached 7.2°C that day and melted the 1cm of snow on the ground that morning.

So what about this weekend and the day after Santa delivers presents with a sleight equipped with wheels instead of rails?

Warmer weather and clouds build back into the region on Friday as temperatures climb to +3°C. A risk of an isolated shower or wet flurries arrives in the evening. (Note: this is the LAST chance of ANY snow before Christmas.)

Skies remain cloudy on Saturday and Sunday, with daytime highs reaching +5°C. Christmas Eve will see overnight lows several degrees above freezing with a chance of showers. So Santa may need that milk to be nice and cold at each house to keep cool in that Santa suit.

Christmas day brings light rain and even warmer weather. The Sault region could reach or break the warmest Christmas on record of 7°C set in 1982. Of the 11 weather forecast models I compared for that day, they range from 6°C to 8°C. So we might be a part of history with the warmest Christmas in three generations.

Boxing Day cools off a bit, but temperatures remain above freezing. Cooler, more seasonal daytime highs arrive in the days leading up to New Year's Eve.