It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like a Very Warm Winter

Holiday shoppers will be basking in unseasonably warm weather this weekend, as higher-than-average December temperatures persist.

With an especially strong El Niño, much of the U.S. has seen the mercury soar in the weeks leading up to Christmas, right after the warmest autumn on record, CNN reports. Many cities east of the Mississippi may set record high temperatures this weekend, from Philadelphia to Buffalo, which has uncharacteristically seen no measurable snow so far this season.

The warm days come as the Paris climate talks draw to a close, with world leaders debating the best way to counteract global warming and minimize temperature change.

[CNN]

Read next: Why No Country Matters More Than India at the Paris Climate Talks

Subscribe to TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com.