Warm weather and rain did their best to dash the hopes of those who asked for a white Christmas this holiday season.
Bellville residents saw temperatures at above average levels ranging from the lower-40s to mid-60s, according to AccuWeather.com.
The coolest day last week was Dec. 20 at 42 degrees, while the warmest day was Dec. 23 at 63 degrees. Temperatures even jumped as high as 64 degrees on Sunday following the previous week’s festivities.
The main cause is the jet stream bringing in warmer conditions than the usual cold, said Martin Thompson, hydrometerologist technician at the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
The jet stream has been pushed farther north this year by El Niño, the periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the big drivers for the unusually warm weather, which has been the case since November.
“El Niño years notoriously produce a lower-than-average snowfall across the northeast United States, and we’re seeing this so far,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said earlier this month.
The trend is expected to continue through the end of 2015 and the start of the New Year.
This week the jet stream is expected to dip to the South, which will bring in colder and wetter weather.
New Year’s Eve will be much cooler in Galion compared with Christmas as temperatures decline back into the 30s.
The high is forcasted to be 40 degrees on a cloudy Wednesday with a little rain, while New Year’s Eve will be cloudy at a high of 33 degrees, AccuWeather reports.
New Year’s Day is expected to be the coldest day this week at predicted 27 degrees.
“We are looking at colder temperatures to move into the area,” Thompson said. “Which isn’t something we haven’t seen in a while.”
Fans of colder weather can celebrate at least for the time being.
