A Different Kind of Green for Christmas

Winter is officially here — even if warmer than normal temperatures in the Northeast make it seem as if it is weeks away.

And forecasters are predicting that the rest of the month will remain milder than average in the low to mid-40s, with a few colder days.

AccuWeather meteorologist John Gresiak said cold weather is coming, but it will not be until the latter half of January or early February.

“We may have a few weeks or a month where the temperatures are below normal,” Gresiak said. “Overall, I think when we summarize this winter, the average will be slightly higher than normal in temperatures and precipitation.”

Landscaping businesses have done very well through the fall and into December, with workers able to lay sod, plant trees, put in pavers and do other things to beautify homeowners' properties.

Landscape contractor Robert Baran, whose business is based in West Atlantic City, was in Margate Thursday doing some work.

“For the first time in 20 years I was watering sod,” Baran said of the unseasonably warm weather that enabled him to do sod work. “It was really strange. Usually we stop watering sod around the beginning of November. Most of the sprinkler systems shut down by the end of November.”

Baran said that with Monday's record-breaking temperatures soaring to 71 degrees, sod that his business had put down at a couple of the homes was drying out.

“We had to go back and water the sod,” Baran said. “The grass was beautiful though. It felt like early May.”

Last year, Baran's business slowed to almost a halt by Dec. 8. This year it is going strong thanks to the temperatures, he said.

Lou Wright, owner of Above All Landscaping, in Pleasantville, said, “Believe it or not, we are getting calls from people for leaf cleanup and other removals because it is so warm. We even got about 10 calls for us to come out and cut the grass.”

Gresiak said two weather systems are heading our way — but the wet weather will likely miss us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

“We will get rain tomorrow (Friday) night through Saturday morning, and then it will dry out for a while, probably right through Christmas Day and then Monday night and Tuesday we will have that second system coming up.”