If you forgot a coat Monday and had chills being outside, you weren't alone.
And if it felt cold, it was -- 20 to 25 degrees cooler than normal for this time of year, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
"This time of the year, like the springtime, you get big jumps," said Mike Akulow, a forecaster with the NWS in Topeka. "It's just a lot of ups and downs -- roller coaster-type weather."
Monday's highs were in the mid-50s across the region, Akulow said.
Around 4 p.m., he said, the temperature in Lawrence was 53 degrees with a north wind at 9 mph, giving the area a wind chill in the 40- to 45-degree range.
The normal high for this time of year, Akulow said, is 78.
The dip in temperatures won't last long, though.
"(Today), I think we're going to bounce right back -- it looks like it will be 65 to 70 for a high -- then by Wednesday up around 80 again.
"By Wednesday we'll have forgotten all about the cold weather."
Akulow said the shifts in temperature represent the change of seasons and battling warm and cool air masses across the country.
Autumn officially begins Thursday.
"It's not unusual for this time of the year -- this is a transition time. Summer is fading, and the fall season is taking over.
"With the fall season, with each cool front it gets a little bit cooler," he said. "And before you know it, we're going to have snow in the forecast."
The extended forecast called for highs in the 80s on Thursday and Friday, with a chance for showers and thunderstorms Saturday.
-- Michael Dekker's phone message number is 832-7187. His e-mail address is mdekker@ljworld.com.
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