Warm night brings warm day

An unusually warm night pushed the mercury above the 60-degree mark at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport early Thursday morning.

But the daytime high, forecast at 84 degrees, should be only a degree or so warmer than Wednesday’s, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

Despite a record 102-degree high on Aug. 21, 1964, low- to mid-80s is average for this time of year, forecaster Diana Henderson said.

Wednesday night’s and Thursday morning’s low of 60 degrees at the airport was a slight aberration, compared to usual low temperatures in the mid- to high-50s, she said. Warmer air in the upper level of the atmosphere prevented the normal overnight cooling, according to the weather service.

The airport temperature at 5 a.m. was actually 61 degrees, dropping to 60 at 7 a.m., Henderson said.

The airport was 53 degrees at 6 a.m. Wednesday, she said.

“It’s not unheard of” to have an 8-degree difference over 24 hours like that, she said.

But with average lows in the mid-50s, the overnight temperature was “a little above normal.”

Thursday’s night’s low should be closer to normal, Henderson said.