MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) – Leaving your jacket at home more often that not lately? Keeping your air conditioning on in the house? You’re not alone. The Gulf Coast has experienced record high temperatures for the last week. That trend will continue through next week too.
With a little over two weeks away from Christmas, the current weather pattern looks more like what you would typically expect in either late April or early October.
A strong ridge of upper-level high pressure centered of the Gulf of Mexico has allowed the jet stream to retreat north. This polar jet stream is responsible for driving cold air mass from to north south into the southern states giving us our frequent blasts of chilly air. This week, that is not the case.
Temperatures continue to run well above seasonal norms. In fact, the pattern is so warm, it is driving high temperatures near record territory. Tuesday’s high temperature in Mobile reached 82°. That breaks a record set back in 1998. And more record warmth is likely over the next few days.
Aided by a light south wind and plenty of sunshine, high temperatures Wednesday through Friday will top off in the upper 70s and lower 80s. The records for this stretch sit around 80-81°.
While temperatures are expected to dial back a few degrees by the weekend, the weather pattern is expected to remain well above average.
Bottom line, put away the jackets and sweaters and break out the shorts and t-shirts!