Typical fall weather on its way

Records fall on an unseasonably warm Tuesday

Only one Cape Breton temperature record fell during Tuesday’s unseasonably warm day across the island.

The new record was set in the Ingonish Beach area where residents and visitors soaked in a sunshine-filled day where temperatures rose to 27.6 C.

That temperature broke a previous high mark of 25.2 C set in 2003.

No other records were broken across the island but many where challenged, according to Environment Canada.

“It was nice and warm across most of Cape Breton but just not warm enough at a few of the station to be records,” said Ian Hubbard, an Environment Canada meteorologist.

In Sydney, the high reached 27.4 C — just shy of the standing record of 28.9 C set in 1934.

Temperatures also soared all around the Maritimes on Tuesday due to a strong ridge of high pressure that sits over the Atlantic Ocean south of Nova Scotia that Hubbard referred to as a “Bermuda high.”

“On that side of the high pressure system the airflow tends to be from the southwest, so for much of the Maritimes that means the air is coming from southern Ontario, southern Quebec, the continental part of the U.S. and New England,” he said.

“Basically, warm air from there gets pushed up over our region.”

Hubbard said the system feels like a summer system and on a cloudless day like Tuesday the air can really heat up.

“It was short-lived but certainly a record-setting day across many parts of the Maritimes.”

Temperatures over the next couple of days will feel more like most would expect on a fall day in Cape Breton.

“The winds are going to come from the northwest and that is going to bring in cooler air or more seasonable (air) for this time of year,” he said.

“At the end of the week we are looking at mid-teens for our high Friday and Saturday.”

Fair weather is expected to start next week, attributed to a ridge of high pressure coming in.

“It’s possible maybe early to mid next week temperatures could start to rise again but that’s still a ways off to be that particular.”

GREG MCNEIL/CAPE BRETON POST Audrey and Wade Bennett of Westmount made their way down a scenic hiking trail at Petersfield Park on Monday. Leaves on the trees that surrounded them were already starting to show signs of colour change to signify the arrival of fall. The unseasonably...