Above-average temperatures caused by El Niñ o are expected to continue through the end of the month, according to Gary Lessor, meteorologist with the Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University.
“They’ll be some cool-downs, but on average, temperatures should be above normal,”
This weekend, highs are expected to be in the low 60s, Lessor said. Highs will then fall into the 50s Monday through Thursday. The normal highs for this time of year are in the low 40s.
“All the cold air’s locked up right now by the Arctic Circle. The entire country’s abnormally warm,” Lessor said.
Lessor said the country has not experienced an El Niñ o of this magnitude since 1997-98.
“It’s a very strong El Niñ o,” Lessor said. “When you have something like that, it throws that atmosphere into chaos.”
Lessor said that El Niñ o typically occurs every three or four years,
“It’s kind of random,” Lessor said. “You go through waves, warm and cool, that’s just the normal cycle.”
Lessor expects above-average temperatures to end with the beginning of the new year.
“Once we get into January that pattern will change, will get colder thereafter,” he said.
Dennis Schain, spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said animals whose behavior is dependent on temperature, such as bears, have been affected by recent highs. These species are more likely to stay active when temperatures are above normal.
Species that are dependent on light conditions, however, such as bats, have already entered winter behavior, Schain said.
Mount Southington originally planned to open for the ski season on Dec. 19. Warmer temperatures have pushed the opening back to an undetermined date. Click here to continue reading.
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