A spring heat wave that has brought temperatures in the 50s and 60s across much of the state for the past few days smashed a daily temperature record in Bangor on Tuesday.
According to the Caribou office of the National Weather Service, a high temperature of 70 degrees was recorded in Bangor Tuesday afternoon, topping a daily record of 62 degrees set nearly 50 years ago. That daily high temperature record was set in 1977.
That marks the third day in a row that the Queen City has experienced record high temperatures: A daily record high of 59 degrees was observed Monday, tying a record high set in 2016, and a daily record high of 60 degrees was observed Sunday, beating out a high of 59 degrees set in 2012.
It is also the earliest that Bangor has ever recorded a 70-degree day in the history of record keeping, which dates back to 1925. The previous earliest recorded temperature at or above 70 degrees was on March 18, 2012, when Bangor reached 76 degrees.
The Gray NWS office has not reported any high temperature records within its Maine forecast region that were broken Tuesday. According to past data, a daily high temperature record of 59 degrees in Augusta, set on March 8, 2012, was broken with a high temperature of 60 degrees on Sunday.
The high temperatures and sunshine won’t be sticking around, as northern Maine faces a winter storm warning rolling in Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Daytime temperatures across the state are expected to be significantly cooler than Tuesday’s conditions, with highs in the mid 30s to low 40s.
Wednesday’s storm is expected to bring a mix of snow and sleet through the northern regions, with the northernmost regions of Aroostook County seeing up to 8 inches of precipitation. Snowfall will be lower throughout the Maine Highlands and central regions, although sleet accumulations around half an inch to an inch are expected north of Lincoln. Travel will be impacted and drivers are asked to used caution during the morning commute.