News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Conner Smith takes advantage of the mild weather Monday to practice his skateboarding skills at the skatepark in Alpena. The area could see record warm temperatures later this week, but they will likely occur in the early morning hours while many people are still asleep.

ALPENA — One high temperature weather record fell over the weekend and Northeast Michigan could eclipse more records later this week.

Unfortunately, the mild weather will occur while many people are asleep, before more average temperatures return, the National Weather Service says.

The NWS also says it is still trying to hammer out forecast data to determine if Northeast Michigan will have a white Christmas.

According to the National Weather Service, a new record-high temperature was established Saturday in the late morning when the mercury reached 50 degrees at the Alpena County Regional Airport.

The previous record was set in 2015, when the temperature peaked at 49 degrees.

Warmer air and milder temperatures are on the way and meteorologists say the Alpena area is in line to see a spike in temperatures that climb to the mid 40s on Wednesday and into the mid-50s on Thursday.

The current record for Dec. 16 is 57 degrees, set in 1984, so there is a chance a new record can be set Thursday, although it will be during the early hours of the day.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Mike Boguth said most people won’t be able to enjoy the mild weather because the temperature will be higher in the early hours of Thursday, before a cold front moves into the area.

“We could definitely beat the record, but, the interesting part about this is that it will be at its warmest just before either side of midnight,” Boguth said. “The highs could happen while many people are sleeping and then start to fall. By afternoon, it will seem more like normal.”

After the warm air moves out, cooler air is expected to return to the Alpena area and temperatures are predicted to fall back into the mid 30s, which may, or may not, set the stage for a white Christmas.

Boguth said models aren’t in agreement on what the weather will look like the week of Christmas. He said some meteorologists believe the cool temperatures and moisture will produce enough snow to cover the ground for the holiday, while others say another warming trend is on the way and a green Christmas is in the cards.

We have been debating this amongst ourselves already,” Boguth said. “We aren’t seeing any Arctic outbreaks or large snow storms on the horizon.”

Some of Boguth’s colleagues think warm temperatures will return before the holiday, limiting the change of snow. He said he isn’t in that camp, but it is too early to say for sure which way things will go.

“This amplified pattern we are seeing now, could reinsert itself, not as dramatically as we are this week, but warm,” he said. “There is still a lot of uncertainty now and it is hard to predict how it will play out. I won’t guarantee a white Christmas, but if I was a betting man, I would bet we will have snow for Christmas just based on where we live.”