70-degree Christmas a sign winter is losing its cool

Christmas Day in Raleigh felt less like winter and more like a borrowed afternoon from spring.

Children raced across the playgrounds at Dorthea Dix Park in T-shirts and shorts. Parents stood in the sun, shedding jackets they never needed. The swings creaked steadily as families lingered outside longer than usual for late December.

“It’s absolutely beautiful, warmer than usual,” said Chris Britton, who brought his son to the park instead of staying home for the holiday. His son had hoped for snow. Instead, he settled happily for the slides.

“It’s disappointing we’re probably never going to see a white Christmas,” Britton said. “But you have to take the good with the bad.”

The temperature hovered around 70 degrees in Raleigh, warm enough to make hot chocolate feel out of place. And while one day of sunshine does not define a season, climate scientists say Christmas warmth like this is becoming more common.

“Winter is the fastest-warming season for much of the United States,” said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central.

Since 1970, nearly every U.S. city analyzed by Climate Central has experienced warmer winters, Winkley said.

“That means our coldest days aren’t as cold, and deep winter freezes don’t last as long,” Winkley said. “And while that may sound great, warmer winters affect snowfall, water supplies and ripple into spring, allergies, summer fruits, and the sports and recreation we love.”

At Dorothea Dix Park, those changes were easy to feel, if not yet easy to define.

“I’m wearing a tank top and it’s 70 degrees out,” said Erica Goldenshtein, shaking her head in disbelief.

Some visitors, including Kylienne and Carlos Rayes, welcomed the warmth.

“We’re from Florida, so this is right up my alley,” Carlos Rayes said. “But I am sad it’s not a white Christmas, because that really gets you in the holiday spirit.”

“I’m enjoying the sunshine and heat,” Kylienne Rayes added. “I hate the cold.”

Since 1970, average winter temperatures in the Triangle have increased about 5.6 degrees. The region now experiences roughly 17 more winter days above normal each year compared with the 1970s.

“70 degrees, I can’t believe it,” said Sheila Clough, watching her kids dart from the slides to the swings. “We’re just out here trying to move our bodies after all of the holiday food.”

Clough said while her family is enjoyed spending Christmas Day in the park, she dreads the hotter summers around the corner.

“We can’t even come to this park in the summer. The slides burn you,” she said.

Scientists stress that individual cold snaps will still occur. But when temperatures are tracked over decades, the trend points in one direction.

“Winter’s still around,” Winkley said. “It’s just starting to lose its cool.”