October Vermont Warmth This Week Could Have Vermont Join The Record Heat Party

The never ending summer of 2023 is continuing into October as near record warmth will bathe Vermont this week.  

Sunflowers still going strong in St. Albans, Vermont as
we enter an October week that will probably feature
record high temperartures.

 

High temperatures in warmer valleys Tuesday through Thursday should hit the low 80s across the Green Mountain State. For reference, normal highs this time of year should be in the low to mid 60s.

There's even a slight, but still real chance that Burlington could tie its all time high for the entire month of October, which is 85 degrees

Other cities have done so already under this expansive area of oddly warm weather. Minneapolis got up to 92 degrees yesterday, the hottest that city has ever experienced in October. The heat forced the cancelation of the Twin Cities Marathon.  Usually, that marathon held this time of year,  has runners enjoying temperatures in the mid-60s. 

It was even hotter in Wisconsin. Madison and Appleton both set new record highs for the month of October with a scorching 97 degrees in both cities.

We won't be able to get that hot here in Vermont, but the warmth will still be impressive. That stalled high pressure that has been over eastern Canada for the past week or so has intensified and expanded into the eastern United States.

This high pressure is incredibly warm for this time of year through a deep layer of the atmosphere, guaranteeing unseasonable heat.  Already, Sunday wasn't far off from a record high, reaching 78 degrees on a day when the record high was 80.  Today should get into the mid 70s,  Tuesday through Thursday, Burlington will probably have three consecutive days of 80 degree temperatures. In October, mind you! 

Three consecutive 80s wouldn't be an October record. In 1947, there were four such days in a row in Burlington.

I'm also serious about this being a never-ending summer.  Sure, we had a nasty, destructive frost in mid-May, but that damaging event only lasted a day or two. We've had frequent bouts of summer weather since April. During the middle of that month, temperatures soared to record highs in the mid and upper 80s. 

June opened with a temperature of 96 degrees, the hottest for so early in the season. Though the rest of June, July and August were not  especially warm under all the rain clouds we had during that time, it was exceptionally humid much of the time, making the months feel pretty insufferable. 

Then September hit, ending up tying for the fourth warmest on record. And now this October hot spell. Almost seems like something like climate change or something is going on, 

This October heat wave will of course end.  We haven't had rain in a long time now, which is actually a relief. A weather pattern change this weekend will probably bring us a healthy dose of rain, followed by much cooler weather. 

By the time Sunday rolls around, we could have highs only making it into the 50s. That's not the least bit unusual for October in Vermont, but it would surely be a shock to the system.