Tuesday’s high temperatures were the warmest this far into the calendar year since National Weather Service meteorologists started making observations here roughly 120 years ago.
With record-breaking, 70-degree weather, Tuesday was the first time in recorded history the Seattle area reached such warm temperatures this late in the year, according to the National Weather Service.
Shortly before 3 p.m., thermometers at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport recorded 70 degrees, the service said. The previous daily record for Nov. 8 was 64, set in 1987 and 1952.
Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the service, said Tuesday’s high temperatures were the warmest recorded this far into the calendar year since the service started observations at the airport and at the Federal Office Building downtown roughly 120 years ago.
The high temperatures follow a series of unusually warm days. For six consecutive days, temperatures in Seattle have reached at least 60 degrees, also the first time that’s happened in November in more than 120 years, according to the service.
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“To see this happening, you’d have to go back to the early 1890s,” said Dustin Guy, a service meteorologist.
The Seattle area was not alone in Western Washington to shatter temperature records Tuesday. By afternoon, Olympia recorded 69 degrees and Quillayute reached 61, breaking individual daily records. Bellingham surpassed its record high for the month with 72 degrees, the service reported.
For Wednesday, the weather service expects cooler conditions, around 61 degrees and mostly cloudy skies in the Seattle area. A chance of rain is also likely in the morning.