Near-Record Warmth to Start November in the Plains

By Bill Deger, Meteorologist

November 1,2012; 11:23AM,EDT

Despite flipping the calendar to November, residents across the central and southern Plains will experience temperatures more typical of mid-September over the next few days.
The unusual warmth will even challenge long-standing records in some areas.
Temperatures today and Friday will average 10 to as much as 20 degrees above normal from Texas and Oklahoma north through Oklahoma, Kansas eastern Colorado and Nebraska.
The warm air will even extend into parts of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, although a cold front will shave several degrees off the temperature Friday.
Cities such as Austin, Dallas and Oklahoma City will soar well into the 80s this afternoon, while Denver and Wichita rise into the 70s.

Mild readings in the 60s will reach as far north as Great Falls, Billings and Rapid City, all cities which could have plunged into the single digits before this time of year.
The Rio Grande Valley of Texas will take the cake, busting past the 90-degree mark in some areas, reminiscent of some of the warmest Novembers on record in Deep South Texas.
While the northern Plains cool, the warmth will actually expand Friday from Texas to Kansas. Wichita is forecast to reach 80 to close out the workweek.
Even more impressive, there is a chance that Dallas could hit 90, which would be a first in the record books for November. In fact, November is the only month that the city has never seen a 90-degree reading.

Here's a look at some of the other record high temperatures in jeopardy for the rest of this week:

City	Thu. High (Record)	Fri. High (Record)
Austin, Texas	86 (88/1950)	84 (87/1950)
Dallas, Texas	87 (88/1945)	88 (86/2008)
Denver, Colo.	75 (78/1988)
Lubbock, Texas	81 (85/1994)	83 (83/2001)
Oklahoma City, Okla.	84 (83/1916)	86 (83/2008)
Tulsa, Okla.		86 (89/1909)
Wichita, Kan.		80 (80/1978)
Wichita Falls, Texas	86 (87/2001)	86 (84/2003)

Clouds, a chance for rain and a switch in wind direction will cool down the southern Plains this weekend, ending the threat for record-breaking temperatures.