Unseaonably warm weather is sometimes a convenient truth 

Ah, 60 degree weather … in January, no less.

Go ahead and say it: only in Northeast Ohio, right?

Regardless of the wackiness of it, the unseasonably warm weather — a record setter for Cleveland — was expected to continue today with temperatures expected to stay near the 60s. That’s a whopping 20 to 30 degrees above the average, which is usually in the low 30s.

And to think that only a week ago, we were dealing with snow.

But for those who think winter’s departed, think again. This evening, temperatures are predicted to dip yet again, according to Bill Randel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

“A cold front will be going through tonight and dropping temperatures,” Randel said.

And despite everyone’s amazement at the warm weather, it really isn’t unheard of, Randel said.

“It is unusual, yes, but it does occur,” Randel said.

Credit strong southerly winds that traveled around a high pressure zone over the southeastern states for the flow of warm air in Ohio and Pennsylvania, Randel said. A simultaneous shift of the jet stream — winds concentrated in a narrow current in the atmosphere that guide weather systems — into Canada allowed the milder air to replace the cold temperatures, he said.

Chris Smith, a first-year National Weather Service weather observer in North Ridgeville, agreed that the current temperatures of 50 and 60 degrees were not a complete mystery.

“This weather has all happened before,” Smith said. “(Over the years) on certain days, there have been warmer spells.”

Smith said that the temperature was close to breaking local records set more than 10 years ago, which signified these temperatures have occurred in cycles before and in recent years.

And while Lorain County’s high mark didn’t set a record, the temperatures did in Cleveland. At Hopkins International Airport, a high of 64 degrees broke the 63-degree temperature that has held onto the record since it was recorded Jan. 7, 1907.

Randel said another common assumption with warm periods during the typical bitterly cold months such as January is that it is caused by global warming.

While global warming has become a greater issue, Randel said that the recent temperatures in Ohio are unrelated.

“Global warming involves looking at average temperatures over a long period of time,” Randel said. “Individual weather systems that affect our daily temperatures have nothing to do with global warming,”

As the temperature transitions back into the 40s and then the — brrr — 30s, it will not be long until the fireplaces and heaters are cranked up and the winter jackets and scarves replace the lighter clothing.

But for Smith, he is reluctant to see the decline.

“I would like to see warmer winters,” Smith said, laughing.

Contact Michael Mullaley at 329-7155 or metro@chroniclet.com

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