The long stretch of unseasonably warm weather will come to an abrupt end Monday night, according to a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in North Webster.
Monday’s expected high of 60 – just a few degrees short of the record – is likely the last warm day of the year, said meteorologist Kyle Brown.
In fact, temperatures through December are likely to be below average.
“This does look like it will be the last warm day of the year,” Brown said.
“At this juncture, it does appear this winter weather and even maybe temperatures below normal will be here for the foreseeable future,” he said.
The current average high temperature in northern Indiana is 39, Brown said.
Monday night’s low will dip to 36 degrees and Tuesday’s high is expected to be about 38, according to the weather service forecast.
The quick change in temps is due to a cold front dipping down from Canada. It will bring with it a slight chance of snow on Friday and Saturday in the Warsaw area.
High temperatures in the Warsaw area will be at or below freezing through Sunday.
Motorists heading north will face an increased chance of lake-effect snow, but that is not expected to amount to more than an inch in some areas near Lake Michigan, the weather service said.
A chance for snow in the South Bend area will exist Wednesday through Sunday.
Precipitation for December is expected to be normal, and Brown described the chances of a white Christmas as a “toss-up.”
Brown said they are seeing indicators that suggest below normal precipitation is expected to arrive after the first of the year.
