Teaching youngsters about winter was a bit contradictory Saturday, with outdoor temperatures more than 20 degrees above normal.

“I’m from upstate New York, so this time of year I’m used to some snow. So hopefully we’ll get some … at least for Christmas,” said Kerry Lippincott, Watkins Community Museum of History curator.

Lippincott helped a small group of children paint paper snowflakes with glitter glue in the basement of the museum, 1047 Mass., as a part of its monthly history lesson for children.

“I hope maybe making the snowflakes will put people in the Christmas spirit, start thinking about winter,” she said.

Outside the museum, several people walked up and down Massachusetts Street, several in summer shirts, some wearing shorts and only a few bundled up.

“It’s out of the norm, for sure,” said Jennifer Stark, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Topeka, about the recent weather conditions. “We don’t typically see high temperatures in the 60s, especially for several days in a row.”

The average high temperature in Lawrence is normally in the 40s in the middle of December, according to the weather service. Saturday, the temperature climbed to 67 degrees.

Winter officially begins Friday, but Stark said it would probably be awhile before Jack Frost made a grandiose appearance.

Though a strong weather system is expected in the region Wednesday, Stark said temperatures would still be above normal.

“Earlier, it looked like we would have a round of winter weather,” she said. “Now, it’s looking like a period of rain and possibly some thunderstorms.”

Lawrence already had one premature spat with winter weather this year, when ice blanketed much of the state at the end of last month.

The weather conditions will generally be milder than normal this winter because of El Niño, a weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather around the globe, Stark said.

But that doesn’t mean northeastern Kansas is off the hook.

“Just be prepared in case we do have another round of winter weather. We still have the potential to have a doozie of a storm,” Stark said.