Monday rivaled the hottest April 26 on record in Everett, luring boaters to the water and bicyclists to parks.
"I ran out and painted part of the house and then jumped on the bike," said Ed Armbrust, 57, of Marysville, who pedaled to Langus Riverfront Park in Everett. "I got the work done first. It’s such a nice day I wanted to get out and enjoy it."
Armbrust, whose shoulders already are tanned, often makes the 12-mile round trip to the riverbanks on his mountain bike, spying otters, eagles, herons and ospreys.
On Monday, he settled for a cormorant gliding inches above the sun-soaked waterline and a red-tail hawk circling overhead.
"This is just great," he said.
Others at the park raced by in motor boats, lounged on benches or plopped down on towels on the grass.
Temperatures hit 75 at Paine Field in Everett on Monday afternoon, reaching the previous record high set in 2001.
The warm weather was a product of northeasterly winds blowing down off the mountains, across the foothills and down to the coastline, gathering heat along the way, meteorologists said.
Sea-Tac International Airport topped out at 77 degrees. Western Washington’s hot spots were Kelso at 86 and Centralia and Vancouver at 85.
Today won’t be like Monday.
Showers are a possibility by this afternoon as marine air moves in.
"There will probably be a good 20-degree drop," said Jeff Rood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
However, warm and sunny weather is expected to return by mid-week and stretch into the weekend, he said. "The rest of the week it looks mostly sunny."
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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