Wednesday's temperatures break record set 40 years ago

Just two days after record rainfall, sunshine and a record-breaking high temperature were probably the last thing Seattle-area residents expected — but that's what they got, and they reveled in it.

Wednesday's high of 74 degrees at Sea-Tac airport broke the record for Nov. 3 set 40 years ago in 1970. It also matched the all-time high temperature for November. The last time a November day was as warm was in 1949. Seattle's official temperatures are recorded at Sea-Tac.

In Seattle proper, it was even warmer. The temperature at the National Weather Service's Sand Point facility reached 76 degrees Wednesday afternoon, according to meteorologist Johnny Burg.

Was it only Monday that a record 1.56 inches of rain drenched Seattle?

Nobody was complaining Wednesday about the 180-degree turn in the weather. People shed their jackets and took their coffee breaks outdoors to bask in the summery weather they never got enough of this year.

"The weather's better now than it was in June and July!" said Green Lake-area resident Bill Stevenson as he sat by a fountain at Fourth Avenue and Denny Way, book in hand. "I could probably sit here all afternoon."

Queen Anne residents Harrison Schuster and Shannon Glidden left their food-service jobs early to enjoy the sun.

"It was making my work very slow," Schuster said. "I thought I'd take some time to walk home instead of drive."

Coach driver David Last couldn't leave his job escorting a group of visiting Mongolians around the city, but he made the most of the weather by taking the entire group up Queen Anne Hill to Kerry Park.

He said it's not every day you get "the 'Frasier' view of Seattle."

The day started warm. It was already 62 degrees in North Bend before daylight, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Haner — almost unheard of this time of year.

The area will see another nice day Thursday, forecast to be mostly sunny, with a high of 64 degrees.

But it is November, and Haner said Seattle shouldn't expect any more days like these.

"If only we could get this weather on the weekend," Haner lamented.

A cold front will push in early Saturday, bringing rain and showers all weekend. Saturday's high is expected to be only 54 degrees — more typical of a November day. As soon as this weekend, snow should appear as low as 3,000 feet at Snoqualmie Pass.

Space Needle valet Brien Westerlund said he enjoys parking cars in sun more than in rain but doesn't mind that winter is near.

"I'm ready for some snow," he said.

Seattle Times staff reporter Susan Gilmore contributed to this report.

Jill Kimball: 206-464-2108 or jkimball@seattletimes.com