Warmest Christmas since records began in US

People took advantage of the warm weather on Christmas day along the Charles River in Boston. Photo / Getty

America is enjoying its warmest Christmas since records began, with temperatures as high as 30C.

In New York, shirtless men played beach volleyball in a park often covered in snow at this time of year as the mercury nudged 23C on Christmas Eve.

The temperature was the highest for the day since records began 140 years ago and just one degree lower than during the Fourth of July break this summer.

Christmas Day was expected to reach 19C, and early in the day joggers were out in T-shirts and shorts on streets where people are normally bundled up in thick coats and scarves.

There were long queues at ice-cream vans and at Coney Island in Brooklyn people were swimming in the sea.

Temperatures in New York in December are typically between 4C and 10C.

In Miami, typically around 25C on Christmas Day, they were expected to be as warm as 30C.

Even Chicago, normally sub-zero at this time of year, was on track for 6C.

The heatwave is caused by the El Nino weather system, meteorologists say.

- Daily Mail