East Coast Americans enjoy high temperatures, shed sweaters

East coast Americans shed their Christmas sweaters on Thursday to enjoy soaring temperatures ahead of the holiday, as further south deadly tornadoes cut a swathe through rural communities.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in New York’s iconic Central Park peaked at 22°C, the warmest Chri-stmas Eve since records began in 1871. In the capital Washington, tourists and last minute shoppers wore T-shirts and sat outside at sidewalk cafes as federal workers left their offices dressed for holiday parties.

High temperatures were reported as far north as Saint Anicet in the Can-adian province of Quebec, which hit 21°C, and the NWS reported that the port of Norfolk in Virginia broke its all time December record of 28°C.

The New York Times cooking blog broke away from its coverage of traditional Yuletide fare to offer “Recipes for a 70-Degree Christmas”. At Maryland’s only ski station just one of 35 trails was open, thanks to artificial snow-making machines. In 2014, the Wisp Resort’s runs opened on December 13, NBC Washin-gton reported.

But the abnormally balmy temperatures had tragic consequences in weather further south, where more than a dozen tornadoes were reported in six states.