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Albert Lea set a record high for Christmas Eve, but the record for Christmas Day remains from 2021, according to the National Weather Service.

The new high for Christmas Eve is 52 degrees, up from 47 degrees in 2021.

The high for Christmas Day is 53 degrees, set in 2021. The record low for that day is 10 below zero, set in 1983. The normal high temperature for Christmas is 25.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, December 2023 has been more like November in Minnesota, with bare ground dominating the landscape across the state for much or all of the month, and temperatures remaining mild with a few bouts of very warm weather.

The DNR climate journal states:

“Strong El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean have kept frigid winter air masses locked up in central and northern Canada, 1,000 to 2,000 miles to the north. Most days have been much warmer than average, and passing cold fronts have struggled to bring in anything other than seasonally-normal air.

“The lack of snow cover has boosted temperatures further, because bare ground absorbs sunlight and warms the air above it 10 to 20 times more effectively than fresh snow. Snow cover during winter is a classical climatic “feedback,” because snowy ground keeps temperatures lower, making precipitation more likely to fall as snow, which reinforces or deepens the cooling. A lack of snow cover allows temperatures to rise more readily, making rain more likely. 

“Through Dec. 19, Minnesota’s “first-order” climate stations at Duluth, International Falls, Rochester, St. Cloud and the Twin Cities were 7-12 degrees F above normal, generally ranking above the 90th percentile, and among the 10 warmest on record. The highest temperature recorded so far in the state was 68 degrees F at Canby, recorded on Dec. 8.

“Official forecasts from the National Weather Service indicate that even warmer air may move in during the final third of the month. Applying the forecast high and low temperatures to the current statistics suggests that December has a shot at being the warmest on record in parts of the state.”