LEWISTON — Ask anyone in the area and they’ll agree: It’s warm for winter. Of course, the season doesn’t technically start until Dec. 21, but here in Maine we’re accustomed to an early chill and at least some snow.

Staci Hanes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said El Niño is to blame. “The strong El Niño, creating high pressure, that’s what’s creating these conditions.”

El Niño is a band of warm ocean water that develops in the Pacific.

Hanes said the NWS doen’t know when the system is going to break down, so it’s difficult to predict when the temperatures will drop, and when snow will fall.

The big question that people want to know: What will the weather be for the holidays? Hanes said according to current forecasts, no snow is expected in southern and central Maine on or before Christmas.

Of course, the forecast is liable to change as it gets closer to the actual day, but it seems pretty clear what to expect.

“It looks like it’s going to stay warm, similar to what it has been,” Hanes said. A storm system is expected Thursday, but it will be mostly sleet and freezing rain and and will affect the mountains and northern parts of the state.

Hanes said this December’s average temperature has been 10 to 15 degrees above normal for the highs and 5 to 10 above normal for the lows.

According to Hanes, the latest first snowfall in the area was Jan. 16, 2000, and the warmest December on record was in 2001. The average temperature, of both lows and highs, was 34.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lost Valley ski resort employee Phil Brushwein said that despite the lack of snow and high temps, they’re still doing well. “We can’t make snow yet, but we will,” he said. “It’s not stopping us, just slowing us down.”

Brushwein said things are going well despite the adversity. “We’re still selling season passes and gift cards, so I’d say business is good.”

In place of the ski slopes and snowmobile trails normally populated in December, many local golf courses have stayed open to take advantage of the anomaly.

The 2015 Farmers’ Almanac predicted very cold temperatures for Christmas with heavy interior snow, but long-range forecasts from The Weather Channel predict a high of 60 on Christmas Eve and 54 for Christmas, with a chance of light rain Thursday.

How is the warm weather and lack of snow affecting you? Send your thoughts to [email protected].