Though temperatures are dropping in these first weeks of January, the East Coast has been experiencing unseasonably warm weather. December yielded no snow for our area and the month was warm enough for a 62-degree Christmas.

What is going on? Amateur meteorologist and Harriton senior Sam Ebby answered some of our questions. Sam set the record straight in regards to everyone’s expectations for a snowy holiday season.

He explained, “It is not unusual for there to be a snowless December or a warm December. Just because the holidays are here does not mean that it is going to be cold.”

He thinks part of the disappointment may come from the constant snowfall in ads this time of year.

“People associate that with it being cold and snowy outside. When there is a disconnect between what you see on TV and what you are actually seeing outside, it makes you question why what you are seeing on TV isn’t actually happening.”

However, the extremity of the December weather did surprise Sam.

“Temperatures were at all time highs. I knew that it was going to be a warm December, but I didn’t know that it was going to be this warm,” he said. “The ridge [of warm air] that developed over the eastern half of the United States ended up having a larger amplitude than I thought.”

These maximum December temperatures even affected the North Pole.

“That ridge of warm air has become so extreme that once it moved over Greenland, it extended all the way to the North Pole. Just the other day it was 38 degrees Fahrenheit in the North Pole. That is above freezing. The North Pole was melting,” he said. “Santa’s workshop was melting.”

But there is still hope for cold weather. Sam predicts that the next six to eight weeks promise opportunities for snow, and maybe even a day or two off.

“Our first snow threat may be on Monday. I know a lot of people who would enjoy the snow and having school off, myself included!”

Luckily for the snow lovers out there, the flakes will keep coming.

“There are possibilities for [snow] threats on the 18th, 20th, 22nd, the 28th, and basically every couple of days as we head into February and March. We are going to end up seeing a very heavy winter.”