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St. Louis sees record-breaking February heat for the second day in row

A couple lays on the grass on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Gateway Arch National Park in Downtown. Temperatures reached 82 degrees.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
A couple soaks up the sun Tuesday while lying on the grass at Gateway Arch National Park in downtown St. Louis.

Tuesday was the warmest February day the St. Louis region has ever recorded.

The St. Louis region also broke a daily record for the second day in a row. The high of 86 degrees Tuesday soared past the previous 79-degree record set on Feb. 27, 1981. It also broke the record high for the month, which was 85 degrees, set in 1972. Monday’s 80-degree high also broke the daily record set in 1996.

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Across the region, people were outside taking advantage of the unseasonably warm February day. Hellen Nunez was visiting from New York. She had her bags with her at the Gateway Arch after her flight was delayed.

“I mean, 80 degrees in February?” Nunez said. “Kind of crazy.”

Nancy Kennedy-Delgado was also on the Arch grounds walking Diego and Frida — her two Goldendoodles. Although she was glad for the opportunity to get some sunlight and said the weather was especially nice, it did make her worried.

“I definitely think about global warming and climate change,” Kennedy-Delgado said. “Obviously that's bad for us, and yeah, I am definitely concerned about the environment.”

So far, February has been exceptionally hot in the St. Louis region. It is on track to be the second-warmest February on record, not including Tuesday’s temperatures.

February has been more than 10 degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service. That could change in the coming days as temperatures are expected to fall.

Experts say warming winters have been a driver of overall rising temperatures in the Midwest in recent years. Last year was the second warmest on record in the St. Louis region and in Illinois. The months with the largest departures from normal temperatures were January, February and December.

Quincy and Rolla also broke their respective records for the day. Quincy saw a high of 80 degrees, while Vichy-Rolla reached 82.

See photos from St. Louis Public Radio photojournalist Eric Lee below:

People enjoy the warm weather on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Gateway Arch National Park in Downtown. Temperatures reached 82 degrees.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
People enjoy the warm weather on Tuesday at the Gateway Arch National Park in downtown St. Louis.

Erik Hegoty, 26, of Central West End, and Bianca Cortez-Perez, 24, of Fairmont City in Illinois, play Uno on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Art Hill in Forest Park. The high of 86 was the warmest February day the St. Louis region has ever recorded.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Erik Hegoty, 26, of the Central West End, and Bianca Cortez-Perez, 24, of Fairmont City, play Uno on Tuesday at Art Hill in Forest Park. The high of 86 was the warmest February day the St. Louis region has ever recorded.
Golfers prepare to tee off on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Art Hill in Forest Park. The high of 86 was the warmest February day the St. Louis region has ever recorded.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Golfers prepare to tee off on Tuesday in Forest Park.
People gather and enjoy the weather on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Art Hill in Forest Park. The high of 86 was the warmest February day the St. Louis region has ever recorded.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
People gather and enjoy the weather on Tuesday at Art Hill in Forest Park.
Mee Jey, 36, of University City, helps her son, Sabad Hari, 6, fly a kite on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at Art Hill in Forest Park. The high of 86 was the warmest February day the St. Louis region has ever recorded.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Mee Jey, 36, of University City, helps her son, Sabad Hari, 6, fly a kite on Tuesday at Art Hill in Forest Park.

Kate Grumke covers the environment, climate and agriculture for St. Louis Public Radio and Harvest Public Media.
Eric Lee was a photojournalist at St. Louis Public Radio.