PORTLAND, Maine — A delayed sea breeze and westerly winds created a warm pocket in the city on Sunday that allowed temperatures to rise to record levels — a whopping 86 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
“The previous record was 79 [degrees] set in 1976,” Meteorologist Chris Kimble of the National Weather Service in Gray said Monday morning.
The winds off the water typically keep Portland cooler, he said.
“Portland’s biggest issue is we have an off shore wind that hits us daily, and [Sunday] we had a westerly wind,” Kimble said.
Then add in that the sea breeze was delayed and didn’t arrive until about 5 p.m. Sunday, which allowed the sun all day to warm the entire area, he said.
“The sea breeze did not have its normal effect,” the meteorologist said.
Augusta also set a record high for Sunday with 81 degrees, breaking the 77-degree record set in 2012.