WEST MICHIGAN — A November weekend this nice only comes around once in a blue moon. Since October 31 had a full blue moon, we now have a gorgeous weekend with record warmth!
Temperatures will make their way well into the 70s both Saturday and Sunday, some 20° to 25° warmer than average for this time of the year. Highs in early November are typically in the lower 50s. We will also have nothing but sunshine both days, making it impossible to not get outside and enjoy it.
We need several things working in our favor to get record heat like this in early November. First we need warm wind out of the south, ushering in some extra heat that was built up in the southern states. Next, we need full sunshine which will be provided to us by high pressure. We also need the jet stream to be well off to our north, but us in a ridge of high pressure and directly under the dome of building heat. The last piece of the puzzle is dry air, which is in place thanks to a drier than normal August, September and October.
The one good piece of news to all this warmth is high pressure and the jet stream to our north will keep it locked into place until Tuesday.
When it comes to our records, there are some days during this stretch that have never made it to 70° since records began back in 1892. Those days are Saturday and Tuesday. The other days, Sunday and Monday, only have record temperatures in the lower 70s. Our forecast has 75° on both Monday and Tuesday, so those should be easily broken. We will likely wrap up this warm stretch with four days in a row of new record highs, after not making it to the record of 77° on Friday.
The fun in the sun and warmth will all come to an end on Wednesday as our temperatures slide back down to normal behind a cold front which will swing through Tuesday night. With it, there will likely be showers and thunderstorms, a few of which could potentially be strong with just how warm there air will be.
Enjoy the nice weather over the next few days because it isn't a given that it will return until Spring of next year. Remember, we are only 44 days away from the first day of winter.
