If you still have leaves to rake or gutters to clear, Connecticut is handing you a few extra days of grace. After a season that has felt like a steady slide into winter, the state is about to get a welcome break: temperatures climbing toward 70 degrees on Tuesday, then pushing even higher on Wednesday, putting some inland communities within striking distance of record highs for early November.
This isn’t a record-breaking event, exactly. But it is the kind of late-season warmth that makes the first week of November feel more like early October, and it arrives just as many residents are digging out their heavier jackets.
Tuesday and Wednesday: How Warm It Gets
Tuesday should bring highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s across much of the state. The Hartford area is forecast to reach around 71 degrees, while Bridgeport and other shoreline communities settle in the upper 60s. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny, with a light southwest breeze drawing milder air into Connecticut.
Wednesday looks even warmer, particularly inland. Hartford could hit the middle 70s under mostly sunny skies, while shoreline temperatures climb toward 70 degrees. That puts many communities roughly 10 to 20 degrees above their usual afternoon temperatures for early November.
For perspective, the normal high at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks is 57 degrees on Tuesday and 56 on Wednesday. In Bridgeport, the normal high is 58 degrees on both days, based on the 1991-to-2020 climate baseline.
How Close to the Records?
The warm stretch won’t rewrite the record books, but it comes close enough to make meteorologists take notice. At Bradley International Airport, the record high for Tuesday is 78 degrees, set in 1990. A forecast high around 73 degrees would leave the Hartford-area climate station about 5 degrees short. Bradley’s Wednesday record also stands at 78 degrees from 1987; although the forecast is near 74, keeping it within a few degrees of that mark, tying the record would demand temperatures exceed the projection.
Sikorsky Memorial Airport, which serves as the Bridgeport climate station, recorded a Tuesday record of 74 degrees in both 2003 and 2016. A high in the upper 60s would fall roughly 5 to 7 degrees shy. Wednesday’s record there is 78 degrees, set in 1975, which puts it further out of reach with temperatures forecast near 70.
Why the Sudden Warmth?
A strong ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere is parked over the eastern United States. That broad northward bump in the jet stream allows warmer air to spread into the Northeast while encouraging sinking air and generally quiet weather. High pressure near the surface is also helping maintain a southwest flow, bringing milder air toward the state. Add a little November sunshine, and afternoon temperatures can climb well above seasonal averages.
The Bonus Won’t Last
The dry stretch won’t hold forever. Clouds increase later this week, with rain becoming more likely Friday into early Saturday. For now, though, there’s still time to enjoy a little bonus warmth before the heavier coats return to regular duty.
For anyone who has been putting off outdoor chores, this is the window. The warmth is real, the records are close but not falling, and the rain is coming soon enough that Tuesday and Wednesday are worth stepping outside for.
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