Temperatures reached 81 degrees at the Del Norte County Airport on Thursday. The last time the airport saw temperatures that high was in 1965, according to the National Weather Service. Photo: Andrew Goff

Though they weren’t enough to break records, the Del Norte County Airport hasn’t seen higher temperatures on Oct. 24 since Johnson was in the White House and “Yesterday” by the Beatles topped the charts.

The mercury rose to 81 degrees briefly at the airport on Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Carroll told the Wild Rivers Outpost. The highest temperature in Crescent City on Oct. 24 was 84 degrees at the airport in 1965, Carroll told WRO.

A strong offshore wind has brought high temperatures throughout the North Coast, Carroll said. Eureka appears to have tied records and the area between Arcata and Trinidad reported temperatures in the mid 80s, he said.

“It’s really hard to forecast temperatures along the coast,” Carroll told WRO. “The wind comes around to off shore and as it blows down the sides of the hills and mountains and it really causes a rapid increase in temperatures. We were definitely calling for warm temperatures along the coast.”

Gasquet reached a high of 74 degrees on Thursday, Carroll said. Because it’s at a higher elevation than Crescent City, the air doesn’t have as far to sink, which is what causes temperatures to increase, he said. As the air blows down the mountains, it sinks and the pressures increase, which causes a rise in temperatures.

“In these types of situations, the warmest temperatures in the county will end up being right along the coast sometimes,” Carroll said. “The offshore wind is going to subside overnight tonight. It’s on the way down now.”

Meanwhile, a red flag warning is in effect for portions of interior Trinity, Mendocino and Lake counties, according to the National Weather Service’s website. Carroll said Thursday that red flag warning is expected to be lifted in about two hours.

Though the National Weather Service is forecasting for more seasonable temperatures Friday, Carroll said they’re expected to increase in Crescent City on Saturday and Sunday.

The National Weather Service has also issued a fire weather watch to the south of Del Norte County late Saturday night through Sunday night, Carroll said.

“That doesn’t extend up to Crescent City,” he said. “There are two reasons for that: Winds are stronger to the south and you got more recent rains up that way than areas to the south.”

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