Near record high temps and a soggy Christmas afternoon

QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:

• Christmas Day: Scattered rain showers, high 59
• Tonight: Rain showers continue, low 50
• Tuesday: Chance of rain, high 59 (40)
• Wednesday: Spotty showers, high 48 (36)
• Thursday: Scattered rain/snow mix, 43 (31)
• Friday: Chance wintry mix, 39 (29)

FORECAST DISCUSSION:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays central Ohio. This Monday is expected to be very warm as temperatures will approach the 60 degree mark. This is not quiet record breaking territory yet, but it will be close. The warmest Christmas on record in Columbus was in 1893 when it reached 64 degrees.

On top of a warm Christmas Day, another round of rain showers will move their way across the region. Most of the rain is expected to pick up later in the afternoon and evening hours.

Rain will stick around overnight and into tomorrow morning. A very mild night is expected as lows will only fall into the low 50s. New rain totals between today and tonight are expected to be between 1/4-1/2 inches.

Waking up on Tuesday it will be calmer, but a few scattered rain chances are expected throughout the day. Better rain chances arrive later in the evening and overnight. Another warm day will be on tap as high temperatures return to the upper 50s.

There is the chance of some form of precipitation almost everyday for the last week of the year. Temperatures will also be on a cooling eventually becoming near normal by Friday after a dip in the jet stream rolls over. Some of those rain chances will turn into wintry mix chances with these cooler temperatures.

-Bryan