COLUMBIA, S.C. — This week we are seeing an anonymously strong high pressure build across the eastern U.S. This will see much of the country including the Midlands seeing temperatures around 20 to 30 degrees above normal. Thursday morning 73 low-temperature records will likely be set with 72 more records likely being set for high temperatures later in the day.
Across the southeast, records could be set for all-time February highs. That is the case in Columbia whereas of right now the forecast for Thursday is 86 which would put 2023 tied with 2021 for the hottest February temperature on record for the city.
All of these interestingly have occurred in the past few years. This apparent trend is highlighted in a product from our partners from Climate Central, the Climate Shift Index. In theory, our warming climate will make warmer weather more likely, something that the CSI indicates.
Looking at our weather across the south tomorrow our temperatures our 1.5 more likely to occur given our warmer climate. We can back all of this up by looking at our temperature records in Columbia.
In our most recent decades, our warm records are beginning to vastly outpace cold weather records as we continue to see this shift in our climate.
With these warm temperatures to come this month is already on track to finish in the top 10 warmest on record in Columbia's history. As for March, models are hinting at temperatures remaining well above average at least for the beginning of the month.
