It's October and Fall's Heat Continues in Parts of the West

September temperatures kept that pace going, as Utah, Colorado and New Mexico registered their warmest September on record. California, Nevada, Arizona and Wyoming all experienced a top 10-warmest September, according to NOAA's recent monthly report.High temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above average for most of the West. Areas in southwestern Oregon and northern California may see highs 20 to 25 degrees above average through Friday, rising into the 80s and even lower 90s.

The warmth in the West is courtesy of an area of high pressure aloft over the region, diverting the jet stream into southwestern Canada. Typically, the jet stream will begin to dip farther south allowing cooler temperatures to dive southward during the fall. However, so far this year the cold air has remained over Canada for the most part. This week, the jet stream will become more amplified with the jet stream sliding farther north over western Canada and dipping southward over the eastern U.S. The result will be the record high temperatures in the West while portions of the Midwest and Northeast will see colder conditions and possibly some flakes of snow.Indications are that the warmth in the West will persist through the second half of October. In fact, the Climate Prediction Center is projecting above average temperatures to continue through much of October across the western two-thirds of the United States. Besides the record warm temperatures, another impact of this setup will be the continuation of dry conditions. The ridge of high pressure is associated with sinking air, which favors a relatively dry weather pattern, which in turn could worsen the already severe drought across much of the West and also bring elevated fire danger.There may be hope for changes as an upper-atmospheric area of low pressure is expected to move into the Southwest later this week and a cold front will approach the Northwest by the weekend. This will bring cooler temperatures across the West and rain chances will increase as well.

Possible Record Highs Tuesday in the West

Forecast Highs Next 3 Days 

Original Article: http://www.wunderground.com/news/record-warm-temperatures-west-mid-october