Christmas Eve temperatures broke records along the East Coast

It's official. It was the warmest Christmas Eve ever on record — at least for many cities on the East Coast. Meteorologists say a flow of warm air from the deep tropics caused the unseasonably high temperatures.

Last-minute shoppers in New York City were greeted with balmy temperatures. The high Thursday was 72 degrees. To put this in context, the average high temperature on Christmas Eve in the city is about 40 degrees.

SEE MORE: Cleanup begins from Southern US storms that left 14 dead

But on the other side of the country, snow has buried parts of the Northwest.

And the Southeast is recovering after unseasonable severe storms and tornadoes caused miles of damage, killing 14 and injuring dozens more.

See more of the deadly tornado that hit the South:

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