Publication Date February 7, 2017 | Washington Post

70s in February: Record high temperatures surge in the Eastern U.S.

United States
Record high temperatures are expected in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday. Image: Washington Post, Capital Weather Gang
Record high temperatures are expected in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday. Image: Washington Post, Capital Weather Gang

Article excerpt

It does not feel like winter in the Eastern U.S. this week. Spring has already arrived in the Southeast and forecast highs are in the 70s as far north as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, breaking records at dozens of climate-monitoring stations.

A strong, spring-like cold front is pushing east this week. Ahead of the storm, winds from the south are pumping warm air north into the Mid-Atlantic. Record highs for the date fell from Texas to Maryland Tuesday.

In Washington, D.C., Tuesday’s morning temperature was 48 degrees, which sets a new record for warmest overnight low for the date. The old record was 47 degrees in 1904.

At 3:31 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, Washington crushed its previous record high of 64 (set in 2008), rising to 73 degrees.

Records broken on Tuesday

Records that have already been broken or tied are italicized. Temperatures will continue to rise through 3 or 4 p.m.

Washington D.C. — 64 degrees (1887)
Dulles Airport — 65 degrees (2009)
BWI Airport — 64 degrees (1904)
Paducah, Ky. — 66 degrees (1999)
Memphis, Tenn. — 72 degrees (1937)
Jacksonville, Fla. — 80 degrees (1904)
Houston — 80 degrees (1957)
Corpus Christi, Tex. — 83 degrees (2000)
Austin — 84 degrees (2013)
Brownsville, Tex. — 85 degrees (2013)

Monday record highs (old record)

Austin — 81 degrees (79 in 2009)
Oklahoma City — 77 degrees (73 in 2009)
Houston — 81 degrees (tie/1969)
Memphis — 73 degrees (tie/1928)