Latest Warm Up to Last Until 2016 ? Looks Likely So Far

Sunrise at Cocoa Beach, Florida - December 20, 2015

TODAY-WEDNESDAY: Increasing warmth after 'the cool spell' as wind becomes ESE to eventually southeast. Slugs of moisture to approach Central from South Florida periodically, the first of which will be today. Chance of a trace of rain or increasing cloud cover from time to time but for the most part 'muggy' and warmer with overnight lows at the coast in the low 70s (see next image) and cooler inland each day though there too it will be warmer round the clock.

Early Morning Pre-Sunrise Temperature Depiction

The best chances of rain through Wednesday appear to be during the very late afternoons into the evening hours through early morning the follow day (both for tonight and Tuesday late afternoon through Wednesday morning) but timing is too uncertain to peg it down to the hour.

THURSDAY: A cold front positioned near the Mississippi River will make little eastward progress, perhaps another 200 miles before stalling and retreating back north as high pressure centered several hundred miles east of the Carolina holds fast.  (below)

THURSDAY - CHRISTMAS EVE: Continued warm with southerly winds. This might be the warmest of days to come yet still, Some record warm minimums appear more to be threatened rather than afternoon high temperatures though away from the east coast it's always possible.

Less chance of rains by this time if guidance is correct as a dry slot approaches in the mid-level circulation

CHRISTMAS DAY: Warm with lows in the mid-upper 60Fs (inland) and lower 70Fs east coast and highs near 80F at the coast and a bit warmer inland under partly cloudy skies. Perhaps a shower at any time but too far out in time to draw any conclusions . One thing is certain, no cold front looms to threaten the current pattern. Still appears that many folks west of the Continental Divide in higher elevations (mainly) could see plenty of snow from SE Colorado to Northern and Central California and into Northern AZ.

BEYOND: Continued pretty much the same for several days beyond Christmas. The GFS has been showing a change somewhere between December 30th - January 5 but whether that is 'real' or not is not possible to know considering how far out in time that is with lack of reliability that far out in time.