People might decide to take Thursday off after reading this

It’s a Northwest tradition to say that it should be a holiday when the mercury hits 70 degrees for the first time in spring, a mark that could fall Thursday if the forecast holds for a warm, sunny day.

Take off the fleece jacket and stash the Gore-Tex, because meteorologists are predicting a rare full day of warmth and sun in this so far wet and dreary 2017.

“It’s going to be a warm day, although it might not quite hit 70,” said meteorologist Jay Albrecht at the National Weather Service in Seattle. “It’s going to be a one-off, because there’s a strong marine layer moving in. But the good news is that next week is looking good for a string of sunny days.”

March 28, 1994, was the earliest that the temperature has ever risen above 70 degrees in Bellingham, according to online records at the National Weather Service. June 7, 1955, is the latest it’s ever taken to reach 70 in Bellingham.

Temperatures last topped 70 on Nov. 8, 2016, as part of warm spell that preceded one of the coldest and wettest winters on record.

In Bellingham, the average high temperature in May is 62 degrees, according to U.S. Climate Data, which collects weather statistics for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 3:01 PM with the headline "People might decide to take Thursday off after reading this."