ST. LOUIS — St. Louis is starting 2024 on the hotter side.
The temperature spike that hit the Midwest on Tuesday caused numerous states to experience unseasonable heat. The heatwave isn't attributable to just one weather event, but rather a combination of multiple meteorological features including the jet stream, El Niño and climate change.
READ MORE: Why so much of the US is unseasonably hot
That heat wave broke numerous heat-related records in the St. Louis region on Tuesday, including:
- The hottest Feb. 27 ever recorded in St. Louis
- The hottest February day ever in St. Louis at 86 degrees
- The earliest St. Louis has hit 86 degrees in history
"We've now reached 85 degrees in STL," 5 On Your Side Meteorologist Garry Frank said. "Not only did that smash the daily record by 6 degrees, but it's the earliest we've reached 85 in STL history."
While it's still a couple of days too early to be sure, meteorologists expect this February to also break the record for the hottest February ever experienced in St. Louis.
St. Louis also saw a rather warm January at the start of the year. The area experienced 23 days throughout the month that were warmer than normal, National Weather Society meteorologists previously told 5 On Your Side.
However, a few days of frigid cold brought on by the polar vortex resulted in eight days with temperatures colder than their historical normals. Those colder-than-normal days actually saved St. Louis from having a warmer January than normal.
In the end, January's average temperature ended up at 31.9 degrees in 2024, which was only .2 degrees below the normal temperature St. Louis usually experiences during the month.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: January was very cold in St. Louis, but that isn't out of the ordinary
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