What autumn? Summer keeps rolling into October in the Pacific Northwest
Unusual heat for October in Western Washington
In Seattle's recorded history over 128 years, we've only had eleven days in the 80s for October.
SEATTLE - Back in August when fall-themed drinks were released nearly a month ahead of the autumnal equinox, we pondered whether they were too early and what kind of weather really does warrant the mood needed for that kind of seasonal bliss.
Turns out, we're still too early in the Pacific Northwest this year, where summer has totally ignored the calendar – and the local coffee chain menu – and steamrolled right into October.
It's been several days of sunshine and well-above-average temperatures to end September in the Northwest, and October is, if anything, beginning even warmer.
Seattle hit 80 on Sunday – its first 80-degree reading in October since 1993. Monday is forecast to make it two in a row, and it would be the first time in the Emerald City that October has featured two days in the 80s.
(FOX Weather)
And with the heat has come a lack of rain. A 21-year playoff drought may have ended for their beloved Seattle Mariners on Friday, but July through September was Seattle's warmest and driest on record.
Rainfall-wise, the city tallied just 0.48 inches of rain. It's rained on only 11 dates since July 1 – a reverse from the 50 days it rained in the 90-day period from April to June.
Seattle has already set a record for the number of 90-degree days in a summer at 13, and reaching 80 degrees Tuesday would match the 42 days of 80-degree weather last summer, which featured a historic heat wave.
(FOX Weather)
The forecast highs for the rest of the first week of October suggest it'll be the warmest start to October on record, and Seattle may break the record by a full 3 degrees on the Oct. 1-7 average high.
Not just Seattle baking…
The warmth has spread across much of the Pacific Northwest. Just to the south, Portland, Oregon, broke its warmest July-to-September period on record with an average temperature of 72.8 degrees, beating the old record of 70.9 set in 2014.
Over in eastern Washington, Spokane rewrote its same record entry with an average temperature of 71.9 degrees. Eastern Oregon finished the period much warmer than average too, and the warmth keeps on going.
Summer remains in charge through the first half of October
Summer in autumn may be unusual, but it shows no signs of stopping.
The 8- to 14-day extended forecast from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center shows continued above-average temperatures across the West well into the middle of October.
The 8- to 14-day outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. (FOX Weather)
It may be time for pumpkin spice and trips to the corn mazes and pumpkin patches, but we may still be wearing shorts as we do so.