A wave of record high temperatures swept across Eastern NC Wednesday

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Over the past few days an unusually strong ridge of high pressure developed near the Southeastern US, delivering mostly sunny skies and warm southerly breezes around 15 to 20 mph. The record surge in the heat began on Sunday as daytime across the area reached the low to middle 60s. Even though that is a few degrees warmer than the average of 58 degrees for February, the temperature on Sunday served as a precursor to the warmer temperatures that followed.

On Monday and Tuesday, persistent southwesterly breezes and cloud cover kept temperatures in the low to middle 70s, with a few spots reaching the upper 70s. By Wednesday, many locations reached 80 degrees for the first time this year. Greenville set a record high of 82 degrees, breaking the old record of 80 degrees set in 2003, Kinston established a new record of 82, beating the old record of 81 set in 2018 and New Bern also established a new record of 83, beating the old record of 82 set in 2018

By Thursday, temperatures in Eastern NC could once again reach the low to middle 80s with some spots further inland challenging a few records. Despite the record warmth, spots along the coast could stay much cooler as a result of cold sea surface temperatures and a persistent onshore wind. The heat will not last for long as cooler weather will arrive by the weekend.