Even though eight days of temperatures still have to be factored into the equation, daily highs have consistently been far above normal.
Halfway through this month, State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University said New Jersey was on pace to having one of its 10 warmest Decembers on record and possibly its warmest.
Now, with the unusual wave of warmth continuing and no blasts of Arctic air in sight, Robinson is feeling more confident -- much more confident -- history will be made when the year comes to a close.
"It will absolutely, positively be a record for the month," he said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
New Jersey's normal average temperature (the mean between the average high and the average low) in December is 35.6 degrees. Heading into Thursday morning, the state was seeing temperatures averaging about 11 degrees above that.
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Even though eight days of temperatures still have to be factored into the equation, Robinson said preliminary projections show New Jersey should top its record of 42.2 degrees, set in 2006.
Helping to boost the chances of breaking the record will be Thursday's balmy spring-like weather, with highs expected to reach the low 70s in many parts of the state. That's about 30 degrees warmer than it usually is in late December.
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One interesting indicator of how warm it has been not only in December but also in November: The weather station at the Atlantic City Marina did not hit the freezing mark of 32 degrees once this entire fall and early winter season, Robinson said.
And in Newark, the temperature dipped below the freezing mark just four nights in late November but not once in December. "Every day this month has been above normal in Newark," Robinson said.
Newark's record high for Dec. 24 is 64 degrees, which is expected to be shattered this Christmas Eve. The same scenario is expected in Atlantic City, which has a daily record of 65.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.