That noise you heard Wednesday afternoon was the sound of another weather record shattering.
The high in Akron hit 72 degrees at the Akron-Canton Airport around 1 p.m. breaking the old record high of 70 degrees set in 2000.
The high reached 74 degrees at the Akron Fulton International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
This is just the latest chapter in what has been an historically warm and relatively snow-free winter in Akron.
Wednesday’s heat marked the third time this year and the fifth time in four months that record highs were recorded at the weather service’s official monitoring station at the Akron Canton Airport.
The other new high-temperature records were set Feb. 20, Feb. 3, Dec. 27 and Nov. 5.
Federal meteorologists say the warm temperatures — it has already been declared the hottest winter ever in the U.S. — are the result of a combination of a powerful El Nino steering warmer temperatures northward and man-made global warming.
The warm weather has also meant less snow in Akron.
In a typical winter, the National Weather Service says about 39 inches of snow should have fallen by now. This year, Akron has had just 25 inches.
The typical daily high temperature this time of year should be around 44 degrees.
Rain over the next few days will chill things down a bit, but temperatures are expected to still be well into the 60s on Thursday and the 50s on Friday before rising back to the 60s over the weekend.
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.