NORTHAMPTON — A little taste of summer is in the forecast for the area this week.
“This weather certainly has the potential to break some records on Wednesday,” said meteorologist Alan Dunham of the National Weather Service.
Temperatures are forecast to rise to 62 degrees on Tuesday and 72 degrees on Wednesday under partly cloudy skies, before dropping back down to a high of 43 degrees on Thursday.
Although the balmy weather is unusual for February, Dunham said that similar summertime weather during winter has been seen in the area before. Last year on Feb. 24, some areas of the region saw temperatures reach 72 degrees — the current record for the month.
This time, he explained, the warmth “is being caused because of high pressure overhead that’s since moved offshore and a warm front that is passing over Monday afternoon to Monday evening.”
Asked what the warm-up means for future forecasts, Dunham replied, “It doesn’t mean anything.
“It’s weather and weird things happen all of the time. It’s not a portent for any future forecast.”