BRAINERD — Record-setting warmth transformed the first few days of November into summerlike days with highs in the 70s.
Tuesday, Nov. 1, the Brainerd area broke a 32-year-old record, ultimately topping out at 73 degrees, besting the previous record of 69 degrees set in 1990. Wednesday went even further with a high of 75 degrees recorded at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, soundly beating the previous record-holder of 65 degrees set in 2015.
The normal high this time of year is 47 degrees with an overnight low of 28. But the overnight low was also so warm Tuesday into Wednesday that a longstanding record was nearly broken, but appears to have fallen just short at 52 degrees. The warmest overnight low was set 84 years ago, Nov. 2, 1938, at 53 degrees.
The balmy end of October and start to November not only benefited those out trick-or-treating but had construction workers in short sleeves as they worked outside Wednesday, people driving with windows down and running errands comfortably without a coat.
A strong, steady, southerly wind blew up late Wednesday morning, swirling leaves with gusts up to 46 mph in the afternoon. The wind, combined with dry conditions and warm temperatures, created near critical fire conditions in northeast Minnesota, with the National Weather Service warning the conditions could lead to rapidly spreading fires. Most of the state, with the exception of the extreme southeast by Rochester, was included in a special weather statement with elevated, very high or near critical fire conditions.
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It’s unlikely the warm weather will continue its record run. Thursday’s high may reach the mid-60s. The record for Nov. 3 is 72 degrees set in 2020.
There is a 30% chance for rain Thursday, with rain likely before 4 a.m. and then a chance of rain and snow as weather conditions turn the other cheek. A high near 65 degrees is forecast for Thursday, dropping to 33 degrees overnight. The wind is expected to shift to the northwest with gusts of 20 mph. Those who took advantage of the warm, dry conditions to complete work in the yard may be comforted by getting those jobs done before the change in the weather. Chance of precipitation Thursday night is 70% with a 30% chance of snow before 7 a.m. Friday.
In a matter of days, the high temperatures will have dropped more than 30 degrees. Friday’s high is forecast to reach 43 degrees for a high. So even if does snow in the short term, the days will be warm enough for melting.
For the weekend and start of the first full week of November, temperatures may range from 44 to 52 degrees with a chance of rain Monday through Wednesday. Looking further ahead, the 10-day forecast lists a 60% chance of snow a week from Friday with Nov. 11 anticipated to gain a high of 33 degrees.
But things could be worse, or at least colder. The record-holder for the coldest Nov. 2 was set in 1951 at 16 degrees for a high and Nov. 3’s record-holder for coldest high temperature was set at 15 degrees in 1991.