Record heat for Bradenton on Christmas, and the day after

MANATEE -- It was definitely an extra hot Christmas.

Bradenton and the surrounding areas broke record-high temperatures on Christmas Day and did so again on Saturday.

On Christmas Day, the temperature at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport was a record of 85 degrees, according to BayNews9 meteorologist Diane Kacmarik. The previous record of 84 degrees was set back in 1942 and tied in 1998.

Saturday saw record temperatures again, with a high of 85 degrees. The previous record high of 84 degrees was in 1998.

"The same mass of air is staying in place, so we will be again right around record temperatures all the way until Wednesday when we have some clouds," Kacmarik said.

There is finally some relief in sight, however, with cooler weather in the forecast for the New Year holiday.

A cold front will be making its way through the area on Friday, New Year's Day, with some chance of showers earlier in the day and colder air rushing in behind it.

"We will have a better chance for rain than we have seen for a while," Kacmarik said.

And there is good news for those who have had enough heat.

"The colder air looks like it will stick around for a little bit," Kacmarik said.

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter@JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Record heat for Bradenton on Christmas, and the day after ."