Students should not put away the long johns just yet. The brief heat wave Hanover has been experiencing is going to be just that -- brief.
Both local and national meteorologists have predicted much cooler temperatures for today and the rest of the week.
Tom Hoyt, the meteorologist for television station WNNE said the next few days are going to feel very different from the last five days of abnormally high temperatures.
"[Tuesday] is the last day. Normally, there should be a high of about 50 degrees this time of year. We were at 86 [yesterday]. Hanover will be in the upper 60s to 70" today, he said. "You may have to go inside and study rather than play ultimate frisbee on the Green."
The primary reason why the Northeast has been significantly warmer is that a Bermuda high has passed over the Western Atlantic, pulling a lot of warm air into New England -- a trend characteristic of July and August.
Michael Eckert, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said "the cold front in the western United States is coming to an end which probably signifies an end to the excessive heat in the Northeast."
Contrary to the popular myth, the current local heat wave has nothing to do with the El Nino effect which has become the blanket reason for every weather trend, according to Jim Wagner, the senior forecaster from the prediction branch of the Climate Service at the National Weather Service.
"It has nothing to do with El Nino. This is a temporary pattern. While it is not directly related, it certainly can't hurt the recent warmth," he said.
Art Lester, the meteorological technician at the National Weather Service regional office in Maine, credits a forceful wind for the unseasonably high temperatures.
"A strong flow of surface wind has kept the sea breeze from coming in" toward the land," he said.
All of the meteorologists predicted an above-normal summer in terms of temperature, but said that this week's temperatures have no relation to that forecast which was made weeks ago.
None of the meteorologists dared place a definite prediction for the next few weeks, beyond what the trends have projected.
Hoyt said, "with all of the changing temperatures now, we meteorologists can make anything sound good. Who knows? With this crazy weather, we could have another frost on our hands by Saturday or Sunday."
The decrease in temperature in the next few days figures to lower the number of students, like James Kittredge '01 who ate or socialized on the Green.
"It was so nice to be out in the open air. I had a fantastic time eating and studying with my friends," he said.
Others admitted to enjoying the weather a little too much.
The heat has not only cheered up the student population, but also the owners of several business in town, most notably Ben and Jerry's.
"We have seen quite a large increase in sales today. It's as if this were June or July. We have sold nearly double what we usually do. In addition, we have sold a ton of summer flavors, like Lemon Sorbet," Ben and Jerry's owner Vic Hall said.
While Hanover Hot Tubs has seen no noticeable drop in their business during the warmth, with the variability of the weather, an enormous increase might be on the way.
