Portland set a new record high temperature Wednesday with a reading of 58 degrees at the Portland International Jetport.

The temperature broke the old mark of 56 degrees for Feb. 28 set in 1996, said Tom Hawley, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Gray.

Though it has been warm for the past several days, last month will not go down as the warmest February on record, Hawley said.

The average temperature for the month in Portland was 31 degrees, making it the fourth warmest February on record. February 1981 was the warmest, with an average temperature of 32.2 degrees.

Hawley warned that the warmth and sunshine will likely come to an end Friday. Hawley said the state, and coastal areas in particular, should see a lot of rain and wind, with gusts in York County reaching up to 55 mph. Wind gusts in coastal areas north of York County will be in the 35 to 45 mph range.

Forecasters are calling for a significant winter storm that as of Wednesday is expected to hit hardest south of Maine. Boston and southern New England could see a significant amount of rain, damaging winds and flooding on Friday. Interior sections might get a significant amount of snow.

“The biggest impact from the storm (in Maine) could be tidal flooding,” Hawley said.


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