Incredible Summer Heat Blasts Parts Of The U.S. In October

Summer in October, for sure!

After record heat in much of the nation this week
it'll cool down temporarily in the eastern half of the nation.
However, as this map shows, heat could build back
into the center of the nation around Oct. 20.  

That's certainly the case in the central and western parts of the country as incredible October heat has been cooking some areas long after the time when autumn chill usually takes hold.

Way up in Fargo, North Dakota, it was 97 degrees on Sunday, easily the hottest October day on record there. (the old record for October in Fargo was 93 degrees.)

Sunday was also the hottest day of all of 2015 in Fargo. The normal high temperature in Fargo this time of year is in the upper 50s.

Grand Island, Nebraska also had its hottest October day on record with 97 degrees. It was 98 degrees in Broken Bow and Norfolk, Nebraska and 97 degrees in Yankton, South Dakota.

International Falls, Minnesota, the "Icebox of the Nation" with its cold reputation, was 88 degrees on Sunday, tying it's record high for the month of October.

All these readings are way above normal for July, never mind October!

Many other record highs were set across the Plains Sunday, according to AccuWeather. 

Several cities that registered hottest for so late in the season records on Sunday also had their earliest 90 degree readings on record back on March 16 of this year, says The Weather Channel.

Talk about a never-ending summer!

Further west, it's hot in California, too. Los Angeles on Sunday completed its third consecutive day of temperatures above 100 degrees. It's the first time that's happened since 1989.

On Saturday, Camarillo, California reached 108 degrees, breaking its all time record high of 103 degrees set in September, 1978.

Big heat waves have hit California and the Great Plains in October from time to time at least since people started keeping records. But this one was way over the top compared to most past autumn warm spells.

I have to think climate change added a bit of a boost to what otherwise would have been a very hot weekend, but not the extreme we had this weekend.

In the Northwest and Northern Plains, strong winds accompanied the warmth in many areas. Winds gusted to 70 mph in Billings, Montana. Blowing dust and smoke from a grass fire cut visibility on an eastern Washington State highway, causing a multi-car pileup. 

The Northeast is only getting a glancing blow from the warmth today, with highs in the 70s well up into northern New England.

A change in the weather pattern to a more winter like one will bring much cooler temperatures to the central and eastern parts of the nation for the middle and end of the week. Snow might fall in places around the Great Lakes and northern New England by late in the week or the weekend.

The heat might build back into parts of the central United States next week. Alaska look to be unsually warm, too.

Meanwhile, the West Coast will stay hot. Bad news because of the ongoing drought and wildfire risk there.