Will Columbus break records amid recent late-October 'heat wave?'
Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the heat and break out the hoodies, an upswing in the cool fall climate will send highs soaring back into the 70s today through Friday.
Today's forecasted high is 75 degrees and it's going to get progressively warmer, with Thursday seeing a peak temperature of 76 and Friday topping out at 78 degrees.
The spate of unseasonably warm weather flirts with records set 60 years ago this time of year in Columbus, when the highs were:
Oct. 25, 1963: 81 degrees
Oct. 26, 1963: 83 degrees
Oct. 27, 1963: 81 degrees
So, what's the deal with the resurgence of late summerlike weather?
"Right now, the contributing factor we're seeing is a large high pressure over the East Coast and because of the clockwise flow, it's bringing strong southwesterly winds into the central Ohio area," said Nate McGinnis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
McGinnis said one of the driving factors behind the autumn weather patterns is the early development of El Niño replacing its cooler counterpart, La Niña, which lasted for three consecutive years.
Fall into fall: Are you ready for fall? Here's a guide to make the most of season 🍁
McGinnis added that 2023 has been the 35th warmest year in the 145 years' worth of records kept by the National Weather Service.
"I believe it was the warmest month on record for the entire Earth," he said, noting that the average global temperature for September was almost 62 degrees — 2.59 degrees above the 20th century average of 59 degrees.
If the upturn in worldwide temperatures continues, McGinnis said 2023 could mark the warmest average global temperature across the 174-year span recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
However, don't expect current spell of pleasant weather in Columbus to last much longer.
"It does look like the warm or above-normal temperatures will continue into the first half of the weekend, then we'll see some rain on Saturday. Then we'll see the opposite side come into the area for early next week, with cooler temperatures returning," he said.
"So if you like the nice weather, enjoy it while it lasts because change is coming."
Winter weather: NOAA winter 2023-2024 forecast released Thursday: Will it be a bad winter?
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said that El Niño conditions would likely strengthen into the fall and winter months. With El Niño pushing the Pacific jet stream south in the next few months, that could mean drier and warmer weather than usual for Ohio.
Does that bode for a mild winter this year?
With the unpredictable nature of weather and the last three years seeing La Niña winters, McGinnis said it's a crapshoot.
"We will have cold snaps, but looking at the entire three months of December through February, there could be warmer-than-normal temperatures," he said.
"But that's not a guarantee because we're talking about weather."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why is the weather warm in Columbus in late October?
