Washington, D.C. – Unseasonably warm conditions spread across much of the eastern United States on Friday, leading to record or near-record high temperatures in parts of the Southeast, Ohio Valley, and eastern Great Lakes.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service Eastern Region Headquarters, January 9 turned out to be an unusually warm day for many locations, though the timing of peak temperatures varied. In some areas, the warmest readings occurred early in the morning rather than during the afternoon, a factor that still allowed daily records to be tied or broken.
Preliminary data shared by the National Weather Service shows highs climbing into the 70s across parts of the Southeast, including areas of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Several sites in those states either set new daily records or tied existing records that had stood for decades.
Farther north, temperatures rose into the 60s across portions of the Ohio Valley and Appalachians. Cities in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and western New York reported highs well above normal for early January, with multiple locations matching or exceeding previous daily records.
The National Weather Service noted that all reported values are preliminary and subject to review. An asterisk on the agency’s record table indicates locations where a new daily record was set or an existing record was tied on Friday.
Forecasters attributed the widespread warmth to a strong southerly flow ahead of an advancing cold front, allowing mild air to surge northward across the eastern half of the country.
While the warmth was notable, the National Weather Service emphasized that colder air is expected to follow behind the front, bringing temperatures closer to seasonal norms in the days ahead.
For students, commuters, and workers across the region, the early January warmth was a brief departure from typical winter conditions, though changing weather patterns may bring a return to colder weather soon.
