By November, golf is normally a next-year thing for Linwood Higgins, Dickie Collins and John Sturgeon.

But Monday’s balmy temperatures once again drew the regular threesome to Willowdale Golf Club in Scarborough. Higgins said it was the latest in the year he can remember playing golf.

He watches weather forecasts before their games to prepare for the elements, and said he has a tried and true method for determining whether it’s too cold to pull out the clubs.

“As long as I don’t see my breath,” they’re golfing, the former state legislator said. Monday’s warmth met that test and then some.

Collins said the three play at least once a week from spring through the summer.

He can remember when unseasonably cold weather has cut short their seasons – “one time we played, it snowed the next day,” he said. A few times, ice has formed in puddles on the course. But warm weather that allows the trio to play into the middle of fall is a welcome change.

“In the summertime, we look for the coolest day,” he said.

Willowdale was busy Monday, but there were only a handful people enjoying the nice weather at Portland’s Deering Oaks, perhaps because it was a work day and school day. Strong gusty winds also appeared to hamper activity on the park’s tennis and basketball courts.

But Peter Kahl said he and his 8-month-old labradoodle, Rocky, were enjoying the weather and the relative serenity as they took one of their regular strolls in the park.

Rocky is an energetic pup who’s always ready for a walk. Kahl admitted he’s looking forward to the days when some of that puppy energy wears off and Rocky is willing to stay inside longer on cold, snowy days.

But Kahl, who was in shirt sleeves, said he “can’t really complain” about walking the dog, although he’s seen the weather forecasts and realized it probably won’t last.

Monday’s high of 72 degrees in Portland narrowly missed the record high for the date of 74, set in 2020. The Monday peak followed a record-high low temperature of 59 degrees on Sunday and a record high of 75 on Saturday. Augusta also was warm, reaching 74 degrees Monday and beating its record high for the date of 72 set two years ago.

The warm weather with temperatures 15 to 25 degrees above normal wasn’t limited to Maine. Records were set up and down the East Coast. At least four dozen locations hit record highs through midafternoon Monday for Nov. 7, including Washington, D.C., and Islip, New York, where temperatures reached at least 80 and 78, respectively, The Washington Post reported.

All this warmth so late in the season isn’t necessarily a sign of global warming, National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Baron said. He cautioned against reading too much into a short-term warmup, although future scientists might see a string of warmer-than-normal falls as indicators that global warming was underway and influencing the climate.

COOLING OFF

In the short term, Baron said, the pleasant trend is thanks to a high pressure system off the coast pulling in warm air from the south. That system will start to move off Monday evening, he said, allowing cold air to return to southern Maine.

But that cool-down may only last a couple of days, too.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, temps will plummet back to normal for this time of year – daytime highs in the 40s – and lows Tuesday night will be in the 20s, giving everyone just a taste of winter, Baron said. But then it will be back to the low 60s for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Rain Saturday should bring a return to normal temperatures Sunday and Monday with highs in the 40s.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Even before winter’s arrival, Mainers are relying on heating assistance

Next »

Forest service, 4 departments get large Gorham brush fire under control