Record Heat: Wichita Sets Historic Record High; Oklahoma City, Lincoln Also Set Early-Season Heat Records

(RECAP: Winter Storms of 2013-14)

If it seems early for this kind of heat, that's because it is. A few cities have exceeded key temperature thresholds earlier than they ever have before in over 100 years of weather records.

The sudden change of seasons is a particularly cruel turn for Wichita, Kansas, where three-tenths of an inch of snow fell on April 14, its second-latest measurable snow on record (behind April 23 just last year). On Sunday, just 20 days later, the city recorded its earliest 100-degree day in history.

(FORECAST: Wichita)

The high Sunday reached 102 degrees in Wichita, not only smashing the old record of 94 for May 4, but becoming the earliest triple-digit day on record there. Its previous earliest 100-degree day on the calendar is May 9 in 2011.

Wichita had only reached 100 before June 1 in six of the past 125 years (1889-2013). Even more remarkable is that Sunday marked the first time Wichita had ever gone above 100 (i.e., 101 or higher) before the start of June. The previous earliest date of a high of 101 or 102 was on June 4, 1933 – so Sunday's 102 came a full month earlier than Wichita had ever gotten that hot before, at least since measurements began.

Naturally, that also made Sunday's 102 degrees the all-time record for the month of May in Wichita. Records in Wichita began July 1, 1888.

Wichita crushed another record high Tuesday, reaching 99 degrees to demolish the old May 6 record of 91.

Other record highs have occurred in the Plains and parts of the Southeast. Among the notables:

• Oklahoma City reached 97 degrees Sunday and at least 96 on Monday, both record highs. This marks the earliest date of back-to-back highs at or above 95 there on record (1890-present); previously the earliest consecutive 95-plus days were May 19-20 in 2006.
• Lincoln, Nebraska, notched a record high of 98 Wednesday, the earliest in the year Nebraska's capital has gotten that hot since weather records began in 1887. The previous earliest 98+ day was May 14 just last year (2013).
• Wichita Falls, Texas, scored its first triple-digit day of the year Monday, hitting 102 and setting a record for May 5. This came just four days after setting an all-time record low for the month of May, reaching 35 degrees May 1. The city's all-time high for May, 110 degrees, is out of reach.
• Abilene, Texas, reached 104 degrees Monday, the second-earliest 104-degree day on record behind a 104 on April 25, 2012. On average Abilene's first 100 is June 17 and its first 104-degree day is July 7, with 38% of all years since 1886 not reaching 104 at all.
• Charleston, South Carolina, hit 95 Monday (at the airport, inland). That's right on target for its average first 90-degree day, which is May 5. But it marks the third-earliest date of the first 95-degree day there on record since 1938.

The heat has not been quite as out-of-season for Dallas-Fort Worth, where highs peaked Sunday at 96 degrees – not a record, but 27 days earlier than the average first date for that threshold.

Thursday, the warmth will spread into the East, with 80s in Washington, D.C., Raleigh, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Raleigh may chalk up its first 90-degree-plus day of 2014, close to its long-term average first 90s date of May 10. A few cities may get close to record highs, but the heat won't likely be as historic as it was earlier in the week.

Drought Contributes to Heat, Fire Danger

The heat wave came as high pressure over the Gulf Coast and a storm system over the West combined to produce toasty south to southwesterly winds across the Plains states.

These winds blew across drought-parched areas of West Texas and western Oklahoma. Much of this area is in an exceptional drought, the worst possible category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. This helped to keep the air very dry; the relative humidity fell as low as 3 percent in Amarillo, Texas on Monday, and 7 percent in Wichita on Sunday.

Since dry soil and dry air heat up faster than wet ground and moist air, temperatures surged even higher than they ordinarily would have. Sunny skies further allowed temperatures to heat up. These factors were a perfect recipe for record heat.

The winds, combined with the hot dry air and parched ground, led to high wildfire danger over parts of the southern High Plains at times over the past few days. Several grass fires were reported near Oklahoma City on Sunday, and a large wildfire burned northwest of Woodward, Oklahoma on Tuesday.

(MORE: Deadly Grass Fire Scorches Central Oklahoma)

Cooler air will move into the Southern Plains for Thursday behind a round of severe thunderstorms that dropped large hail Wednesday.

(MORE: Severe Weather Forecast)

After the severe weather threat, temperatures will settle back to near or slightly above-average levels across the central and southern Plains, generally in the 70s and 80s Friday, before upper 80s and 90s return in time for Mother's Day weekend.

VIDEO ON WEATHER.COM: How Long Will Heat Wave Last?