Kansas City ties daily high temperature record Friday

Kansas City tied its daily record for warm weather Friday as temperatures surpassed 70 degrees and continued to climb slowly through the afternoon.

The previous record of 74 degrees was recorded in 2011. Shortly before 4 p.m., temperatures reached 74 degrees at the Kansas City International Airport, the National Weather Service reported.

The average temperatures for Feb. 17? A high of 44 degrees and a low of 24 degrees.

Upper-level ridges of high air pressure combined with southwest winds blowing dry air toward Kansas City fueled the temperature spikes, said Spencer Mell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill, Mo.

“It’s very strong for this time of year,” Mell said of the air pressure. “We normally see this in the late spring months.”

Restaurants opened patios, and people flooded local parks to enjoy the warm weather. But the weather service warned of elevated fire risks through Friday because of lower humidity. Experts discouraged outdoor burning.

Other communities experienced record heat Friday. St. Joseph set a new record of 74 degrees for Feb. 17, the National Weather Service tweeted. The previous record was 71 degrees.

Warm temperatures are expected throughout the weekend, with a high of 68 degrees predicted for Saturday and a high of 70 degrees predicted for Sunday.

“It looks like at least through the middle or end of next week,” Mell said. “There is just no cold air to be found anywhere.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Kansas City ties daily high temperature record Friday."