Warm weather breaks temperature records in Portland and Augusta

Nov. 5—Summer-like temperatures broke records Saturday in Portland and Augusta.

Portland was not expected to break any records Saturday, but it heated up by afternoon. At 1 p.m. in Portland, the high hit 72, doing away with the old record of 71 on that date in 1994, he said.

The temperature in Augusta was 68 by 11 a.m., exceeding the record high for Nov. 5 of 67 degrees in 1994.

Baron said he was surprised the temperature got that high in Portland. There had been rain early in the day, and cloudy skies would normally keep the temperature down. But the clouds broke, the sun came out, and the temperature rose. Sunday and Monday are also expected to be unseasonably warm, with 70s a possibility on both days.

Summer-like temperatures in early November are unusual, Baron said. At the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute, Dr. Sean Birkel of the Maine State Climatologist Institute has said that this past summer was Maine's 10th warmest on record. Drought conditions persisted in many areas for a third summer in a row, especially in the southern half of the state, Birkel said.

This weekend, Maine is experiencing a high pressure system that features a clockwise airflow, Baron said. "What's happening is that is bringing up warm air from the south," he said.

But Mainers won't be able to leave the thermostat down for long.

A cold front is approaching Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing more normal temperatures. Highs are only forecast to reach the 50s on those days, with lows in the 20s and 30s, Baron said.

Snow is still not in the forecast, however.