AUGUSTA, Ga. - There was no need for that Christmas sweater or coat this year, as temperatures were unseasonably warm in Augusta for Christmas Day 2008.

The high temperature at Augusta Regional Airport, the official recording station for the Augusta area, reached 75 degrees Thursday afternoon. The normal high for Christmas Day is 57.

The last time the area reached the 70s on Christmas Day was 1987, with a high of 71, but the last time it was warmer on Christmas Day than this year was back in 1984, when the high reached 79. The 1984 high is the record for the date, tying with 1982 and 1926 for the warmest Christmas in Augusta history.

The Augusta area had a string of much cooler than average Christmas Day's in the late 1990s and early 2000s, making the average high for the last ten years (1998-2007) only 49 on Christmas Day.

Augusta's coldest Christmas Day occurred in 1983 with a low of just 6 degrees, and a high of only 26.

If you like cooler weather, don't fret! The latest forecast trend shows cooler temperatures likely to return for New Year's Day and beyond.