80-degree weather in the Sand Hills
Another day with downsloping winds has led to all-time record warmth for late December this afternoon in the Sand Hills and throughout much of the High Plains and Front Range. The Nebraska Mesonet site near Thedford has cracked the magical 80F mark and other sites may do the same before the afternoon is over. Merely 20-25°F above average here in eastern Nebraska with temperatures in the upper 50's. Cooler temperatures are expected tomorrow but still well above-average statewide.
Figure 1. Maximum temperatures so far on December 22, 2025.
Christmas forecast
Christmas Day will be mild statewide and I have confidence in western Nebraska being well-above average yet again. The eastern half of the state is trickier. Forecasts have been calling for near-record warmth but the brakes may need to tapped on that. There is a reasonable chance that most of northeast Nebraska doesn't get out of the 40's and central/southeast Nebraska may not get much above 50F, if it even gets that warm.
Figure 2. Projected temperatures at 3PM CST/2PM MST on Christmas Day
A boundary will sneak through on Christmas Eve in the eastern part of the state, briefly turning winds to the northeast and bringing in colder air. Temperatures should moderate in the afternoon but possibly just to a mild Christmas Day instead of a record warm one. Mild weather looks to stick around until Saturday afternoon when a more potent arctic front will bring our temperatures back to seasonal levels for a few days early next week. No significant precipitation is on the horizon. This is good news for travelers but not good news for worsening drought conditions.
