<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/1005-OCT-RECORDS-FINAL.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/1005-OCT-RECORDS-FINAL.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/1005-OCT-RECORDS-FINAL.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > Locations that tied or set new all-time October record highs from Oct. 1-4, 2019.

At a Glance Heat more like August than October seared the South and East as October kicked off.

All-time October record highs were tied or set from the Southeast to the Ohio Valley and Northeast.

This followed one of the hottest Septembers on record in some of the same areas. October all-time record highs fell by the wayside in dozens of cities in the South and East as an early fall heat wave pushed temperatures into the 90s, even lower 100s.

From Oct. 1 through Oct. 4, 80 locations from the Gulf Coast to New York state either tied or set a new all-time October record high.

Twenty-one of those cities tied or set new October records at least three of the first four days of October.

Unofficial statewide October records were tied or set in at least nine states during this heat wave , according to Weather Underground weather historian Christopher Burt.

(IN-DEPTH: Eastern U.S. Roasts in All-Time Record Heat for October)

Southeast Highlights

Atlanta (98 degrees), Nashville (99 degrees on both Oct. 2 and 3) and New Orleans (96 degrees) were among the numerous Southern cities that rewrote their October heat record book.

Tallahassee, Florida, tied its October record on the first of the month (95 degrees), nudged above that record the next day (96 degrees), did so again on Oct. 3 (97 degrees), and finally tied that record on Oct. 4.

Eleven cities reached 100 degrees for the first time on record in October, including Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee (twice on Oct. 2 and 3); Athens, Georgia; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama (all three days from Oct. 1 to 3).

Meridian, Mississippi, reached at least 101 degrees in each of the first four days of October. They had never previously reached triple digits in October in records dating to 1889.

It was the latest-in-season North Carolina's capital city (Raleigh) reached 100 degrees. If that wasn't bizarre enough, Oct. 3 was its hottest day of 2019, hotter than any summer day.

Other first October 100s were recorded at Greenville and Greenwood, Mississippi; Anniston, Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama; and Augusta, Georgia.

This heat wave had been ongoing since late September. The National Weather Service noted Augusta, Georgia, tied or set a new daily record high nine of the 10 days from Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. For other notable daily records in late September, scroll to the bottom of the article for some highlights.

(MORE: Dozens of Cities Had Their Hottest September on Record)

Northeast Highlights

All three of New York City's major airports – JFK, LaGuardia and Newark – reached the mid-90s on Oct. 2.

Atlantic City, New Jersey, soared to 96 degrees on Oct. 2, crushing its previous October record of 90 degrees from 2007.

Baltimore and Washington, D.C., also set new October records on Oct. 2, each topping out at 98 degrees. Ian Livingston, a D.C.-based meteorologist, noted this was the second-hottest temperature of the year in the nation's capital.

Highs in the 90s were recorded as far north as western New York state.

Midwest Highlights

Most every major reporting station in Ohio tied or set a new October record, including Cleveland (93 degrees), Columbus (94 degrees both Oct. 1 and Oct. 2) and Cincinnati (95 degrees).

New Philadelphia and Zanesville, Ohio, each tied or set new October records in the lower 90s for three straight days from Oct. 1 to 3.

Louisville, Kentucky, soared to 97 degrees both Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, smashing its previous October record by 4 degrees.

Indianapolis also set October records on consecutive days, topping out at 92 degrees both Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.

Why So Hot?

Anomalous weather is triggered by anomalous jet stream patterns. That certainly was the case with this record-smashing heat wave.

A dome of high pressure aloft diverted the jet stream far to the north over the East, allowing summerlike heat to sear a large portion of the South and East.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/STUCK_PATTERN_SETUP_0929.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/STUCK_PATTERN_SETUP_0929.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/STUCK_PATTERN_SETUP_0929.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > Strong high pressure aloft suppressed clouds and thunderstorms in the South and Ohio Valley, leading to the record-smashing October heat wave.

Dry soil from a developing flash drought in the Southeast allowed the sun's energy to more efficiently heat the ground and the air above it.

Record Highs Set in Late September

This heat wave first kicked into high gear in late September.

Records were shattered Sept. 26 in Atlanta, where the daily record was topped by 5 degrees. Even more impressive, Macon, Georgia, hit 102 degrees on Sept. 26, beating the old record of 96 by 6 degrees.

In Florida, Jacksonville's high of 97 degrees on Sept. 26 was the latest in the year it had been so hot, beating the previous record by five days .

Other daily record highs were set on Sept. 27 in Atlanta (97 degrees) and Macon, Georgia (102 degrees), for the second day in a row, and both temperatures were the hottest recorded so late in the season.

Record highs were set on Sept. 28 in several Northeast cities , including Cincinnati; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Richmond, Virginia.

On Sept. 29, daily record highs were set in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; Richmond, Virginia; and Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Atlanta shattered its daily record high by 5 degrees on Sept. 30, when it topped out at 96 degrees. Macon, Georgia, hit 100 degrees on Sept. 30, also shattering its daily record high by 5 degrees.

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