Brainerd breaks record high that stood for 54 years

A record high temp that stood for 54 years in Brainerd fell by the wayside Tuesday as Brainerd recorded a new high for this warm winter.

A warm sun in a clear blue sky beat down on snowless ground Tuesday as the thermometer soared to 52 degrees after 3 p.m. It was a decisive besting of the previous record of 47 degrees — set in 1958.

But change is coming.

Thursday is expected to struggle to reach double digits with the National Weather Service predicting a high of 9 degrees. That will be a 45-degree difference for the high compared to Tuesday. The average high temperature for January is 20 degrees.

This new high still isn’t the warmest January day on record for the lakes area. That honor goes to a 56-degree day on Jan. 25, 1981.

Temperatures are expected to drop below zero over night Thursday, at least slightly, to 1 below.

And, finally, something else missing this winter along with the cold is in the forecast — snow.

If a 30-percent chance of snow delivers after midnight Tuesday, residents could wake up to the white stuff. The chances improve to 50 percent for snow on Wednesday as the temperature falls to 19 degrees by 5 p.m. But no more snow is in the immediate forecast after Thursday.

Following the cool down later this week, temperatures will rebound a bit, with highs in the 20s. But a chilly 7-degree high is anticipated Jan. 17.

But with the traditionally coldest temperatures of the winter already in the rear view, this winter is driving toward one of the warmest on record.

This is the second time in less than a week Brainerd set a new record for warm weather. A record high of 53 degrees was set on Jan. 5, beating the previous high of 42 degrees set in 2001.

RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at 855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com.