Publication Date October 19, 2016 | USA Today

What happened to fall? More heat records set Wednesday

United States
A woman sits in the sun on a summerlike day on Oct. 18, 2016, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. New York and much of the East Coast are experiencing an Indian summer as temperatures reach into the high 70s. Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images
A woman sits in the sun on a summerlike day on Oct. 18, 2016, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. New York and much of the East Coast are experiencing an Indian summer as temperatures reach into the high 70s. Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

What happened to fall? Wednesday was another day of record heat across much of the central and eastern U.S., as temperatures soared into the 80s as far north as New England.

Record highs were set Wednesday in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, Baltimore, Nashville, Charlotte, and Raleigh, N.C., the National Weather Service reported, some breaking decades-old measurements.

The cause of the heat is a strong area of high pressure over the Southeast, which is helping funnel very warm air northward, AccuWeather meteorologist Andy Mussoline said.