Families open presents and rush outdoors on an unseasonably warm Christmas Day

Thanh Hong pointed toward the clear blue water of the Kovler Seal Pool at Lincoln Park Zoo as his two sons looked on in excitement.

“One, two, three!” Hong, 37, counted aloud as the seals appeared. The boys, Brandan and Vincent, ages 6 and 4, leaned on the brown rail.

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Hong and his family, making the trip from Ann Arbor, Michigan, joined many others in spending an unseasonably warm Christmas Day taking in the exhibits.

“It’s a good time to spend with family. ... It’s always better to bring your kid out to a family outing to enjoy the nature, learn about the culture and even the city as well,” said Hong, who said the Field Museum was next on the family’s itinerary.

Stephen Foulkes, Sara Weber and their 2-year-old son, James, have spent the last few days doing Christmas activities outdoors because of the unseasonably warm weather.

“We woke up early for Santa, and by 10 a.m. we were ready to do an outdoor activity,” Weber said. “We knew the zoo was open, so we thought it’d be a fun way to spend the day together.”

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The family, who lives in North Center, have a membership at the zoo and visit frequently to see the animals and exhibits.

When asked what his favorite animals at the zoo were, James answered: “The lions and the monkeys.”

Mohammad Samra/Sun-Times

Stacey Kovoloff, 50, was walking around the park Monday when Gage Reed, 31, complimented her jacket. The two quickly became friends at a time when neither knew many people in the city.

“Being able to at least meet friends on a whim is something that’s pretty magical that you don’t get often,” Reed said.

Some zoogoers were concerned about the long-term ramifications of an unseasonably warm Christmas.

“In some sense, [the warm weather] is good because otherwise I’d have to walk in the snow,” Hong said. “But on the other side, there has been a lot of change maybe [connected] to global warming and people should consider and think about that.”

The city saw temperatures hovering around the 50s Monday, with rain forecast for the afternoon and late evening, according to the National Weather Service.

“You really can’t put one particular weather pattern or one little warm spell and attribute it to climate change,” said Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “But with warming temperatures globally, you would anticipate or expect there to be more warm spells, but you just can’t attribute any one particular [spell] to the fact that we are seeing the atmosphere warm across the globe.”

The pattern of warm December weather has been largely driven by the El Niño pattern across the eastern and central Pacific, Izzi said.

“We’ve seen very similar patterns like this occur similar times in the past,” Izzi said. “The warmth we’re seeing this month is probably more attributable to El Niño, but certainly the background warming of the climate is not trivial and could be playing a part as well.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in its Winter Outlook gave Chicago and its surrounding areas a 33-50% chance of seeing warmer-than-usual temperatures, with areas closer to the lake having a higher probability of unseasonably warm weather — above the average 28.1 degrees.

Typically, the end of December is one of the coldest times of the year, with temperatures in the 30s or below, according to NWS meteorologist Todd Kluber.

“It’s 50 f’n degrees in Chicago in December, you gotta go out,” Jim Hensel, 65, said. “Because it’s going to be minus-20 at some point.”

“It’s really nice. It’s just super, super out of the ordinary,” Foulkes, 40, said of the weather. “It’s unsettling but also enjoyable,” Weber, 41, added.

Ruth and Chris G., who have been married more than 20 years, came to the zoo from Logan Square. They had mixed feelings about the weather.

“I’m glad I don’t have to shovel snow right now,” Chris G. said. “Bigger picture, I’m kind of worried [about] global warming and climate change.”

“Living in Chicago, it’s not so bad. It’s an especially milder winter,” Chris G. continued. “For a lot of people in other parts of the world, this is a sign of global warming.”

Ruth G. was a “little shocked” at how warm the weather was this late into the year.

“I’m wearing sandals and a dress,” she said with a smile.

Later on in the week, Chicagoans will have to bundle up as temperatures fall back into the 30s with a chance of rain mixed with snow.

Ruth and Chris G. have battled health issues the past few years and enjoy every moment they have with each other.

“Every day is a gift, and just being with each other is precious,” Ruth G. said.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times