Temperatures on Monday soared into the 70s in Arkansas for the second day of an unseasonably warm Yuletide front, but don't put away those Christmas sweaters yet.
National Weather Service forecasters say cold air -- well, moderately cool air -- should return to the state later this week with nighttime lows in the 20s and 30s.
"You know what they say," said Ben Woodard, an employee of Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters in Hot Springs. "Wait five minutes and the weather will change."
Woodard said that despite the warm weather, he spent Monday selling Nano Puffs -- lightweight, warm insulated jackets -- at the store on Blackhawk Lane.
"We are selling colder weather items because they know winter's not done yet," he said.
The mercury climbed to 72 degrees in Little Rock on Monday, and although it was warm, it didn't set a record. Last year's 81-degree reading set the all-time high temperature for Dec. 26 in the capital city.
Mena reported 72 degrees Monday, and Batesville basked in 70 degrees. Northwest Arkansas was cooler Monday with readings of 60 in Fayetteville, Highfill and Rogers.
Hot Springs and North Little Rock set records Sunday for the warmest Christmas Day. Hot Springs was 69 degrees, breaking its 68-degree record, and North Little Rock's 66 degrees surpassed the 64-degree record. Both previous highs were set in 1982.
The Weather Service said Nashville, Tenn., reached 76 degrees Sunday, breaking a record of 73 degrees that was set in 1889. Paducah, Ky., also set a Christmas Day high with its 71 degrees. The city's previous record was 68 degrees in 1982.
In fact, it's warm in much of the Midwest and southern U.S.
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In Chicago, known for its blustery cold wind chill along Lake Michigan, those venturing out on the day after Christmas saw temperatures reach 50 degrees. Pittsburgh reached 62 degrees Monday and Atlanta recorded 57 degrees.
Even the North Pole saw warm temperatures. Monday's reading of 20 degrees was 30 degrees above normal for late December, forecasters said.
"It's crazy weather for the month of December," said Mikaela Jenkins, an employee of Jenkins Quik Check in Monticello. The temperature soared to 77 degrees in the Drew County seat.
"People are buying Coke drinks," Jenkins said. "Usually this time of year they're getting coffee. Everyone's in short-sleeved shirts today."
The warm surge follows last week's cold snap as Gulf moisture pushed into the state from the south, meteorologist Jeff Hood of the National Weather Service in North Little Rock said.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain crossed Arkansas on Monday. The Weather Service issued a tornado warning for White County at 5 p.m. Monday after radar detected rotation about 10 miles west of Searcy. No tornado touched down and the service canceled the warning at 5:30 p.m..
Hood said skies will clear today and temperatures will drop slightly during the week. Lows are expected to dip to the upper 20s in the northern counties of Arkansas by Thursday and into the 30s in the central and southern regions of the state.
"People always think it's never this warm this time of year," Hood said. "But we set some records for warm temperatures last year."
State Desk on 12/27/2016