All-Time Record November Heat Follows Record Rain in Northwest; Century+ Temperature Records Broken

Following record-setting daily rainfall on Monday, Seattle tied its all-time record high November temperature on Wednesday. The precipitation of 1.56" broke the daily record for November 1 of 1.06" set in 1984. This was only the 5th time in over a century of records that the temperature reached 70° or above at Seattle in November.

Records over a century old were broken across northwestern Oregon. From the National Weather Service:

LISTED ARE RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES SET FOR NOVEMBER 3RD:

                  MAXIMUM      PREVIOUS    RECORDS KEPT
LOCATION        TEMPERATURE     RECORD        SINCE
-------------------------------------------------------
ASTORIA             73        68 IN 1970       1890
SALEM               74        71 IN 1975       1892
MCMINNVILLE         73        71 IN 1975       1894
VANCOUVER           72        70 IN 1975  

For the Seattle temperature record, the National Weather Service reports:

 THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 74 DEGREES ON WEDNESDAY TIED FOR THE WARMEST 
 ALL TIME NOVEMBER DAY ON RECORD IN SEATTLE. THE OTHER NOVEMBER 74 
 DEGREE DAY WAS ON NOVEMBER 4TH 1949. WEDNESDAY WAS ONLY THE FIFTH 
 DAY ...INCLUDING RECORDS AT THE FEDERAL BUILDING WHICH GO BACK TO 
 1891...WHERE THE HIGH REACHED INTO THE 70S IN NOVEMBER. THE 
 FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF 70 DEGREE DAYS IN NOVEMBER IN SEATTLE.
 
 1. 74 DEGREES 11/3/2010
 2. 74 DEGREES 11/4/1949 
 3. 72 DEGREES 11/2/1970 FEDERAL BUILDING HIGH WAS 72
 4. 71 DEGREES 11/4/1980
 5. 70 DEGREES 11/3/1970 FEDERAL BUILDING HIGH WAS 73
 
 WHEN THE FEDERAL BUILDING WAS THE OFFICIAL WEATHER RECORD SITE FOR 
 SEATTLE...1891 TO 1944...THERE WAS NEVER A DAY IN NOVEMBER WITH A 
 HIGH IN THE 70S.
 
 THIS PAST SUMMER...JUNE 21ST TO SEPTEMBER 21ST...THE HIGH 
 TEMPERATURE AT SEATTLE-TACOMA AIRPORT WAS LESS THAN 74 DEGREES ON 60 
 OUT OF THE 93 DAYS...SO ALMOST TWO THIRDS OF THE DAYS THIS SUMMER 
 WERE NOT AS WARM AS WEDNESDAY.   
 
 OUT OF THE FOUR YEARS WHERE A 70 DEGREE DAY HAS OCCURRED IN SEATTLE 
 IN NOVEMBER THREE OF THE YEARS...2010...1970 AND 1949 ARE LA NINA 
 YEARS. 1980 WAS A NEUTRAL YEAR. 

Cliff Mass has some background in his weather blog.