Columbus to have a warm, foggy, muggy Christmas

Have a foggy, muggy Christmas.

You can have a holly jolly one, too, here in the Columbus area, but don't expect the weather to provide a festive winter wonderland backdrop for those holiday family photos.

Amid a super-soaker rainstorm lingering long enough to prompt an extended flood warning for the region, the forecast includes a foggy Christmas morning with a high that day of 77 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain.

By then the ground may be saturated, with plenty of mud for the kids to play in with their new toys. WRBL Chief Meteorologist Bob Jeswald said Tuesday that the Columbus area could get 3 to 4 inches of rain by Christmas Day, and the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning through 7 p.m. that evening.

"Multiple rounds of heavy rain will continue through Christmas and will result in an additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches have already fallen across parts of central Georgia," the Weather Service reported Tuesday.

"This is a long-duration and complex heavy rain event," it added. "Some rivers and streams may take a couple of days to respond and flood even after heavy rain ends. Others may flood more quickly."

Those in low-lying areas are warned to take caution, as are travelers expecting to cross flood-prone roads.

Jeswald said a stalled storm front is the more immediate reason the region's catching so much rain. The overall winter pattern of wet stretches punctuated by cold snaps is the result of a weather phenomenon named for the Christ child: El Nino, the warming of Pacific Ocean water that affects winter in the South.

Meteorologists have marveled at the intensity of this year's El Nino, which may linger into next spring.

"It's going to be stuck like this for some time," said Jeswald, adding it could get "pretty stormy" along the way.

Here's the forecast through the weekend, according to the Weather Service:

Today -- a 90 percent chance of rain, high 73, south winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph; a 70 percent chance of rain tonight with a low of 67 and a south wind around 10 mph, gusting up to 20 mph.

Thursday -- a 60 percent chance of rain, high 77, cloudy, south wind 10 mph with gusts up to 15; a 40 percent chance of rain Thursday night with a low of 66.

Friday -- a 20 percent chance of showers, mostly cloudy, high 77; cloudy with a low of 63 that night.

Saturday -- again a 20 percent chance of rain with a high of 77 and mostly cloudy; a low of 62 degrees that night.

Sunday -- a 20 percent chance of rain, mostly cloudy, high 76; mostly cloudy that night with a low of 62.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Columbus to have a warm, foggy, muggy Christmas ."