MARQUETTE — It’s no secret that the Marquette area and much of the Upper Peninsula have experienced a long stretch of high temperatures lately.

Thursday was the 12th consecutive day with a temperature of 80 degrees of higher recorded at the National Weather Service office in Negaunee Township. This tied the longest streaks set in 1981 and 1999, according to a Facebook post from the NWS office.

“It’s not unusual for us to see temperatures like this in July, just the longevity of it is the unusual part,” said Jaclyn Ritzman, a meteorologist at the NWS office.

However, the streak ended Friday, as the high temperature at the NWS office in Negaunee Township only reached 76 degrees.

From July 1 through Thursday, each day’s temperature was at least 6 degrees above average for the date, with July 1 and Monday both 13 degrees above average for the respective dates.

The average high temperature during that span has been just under 86 degrees, with an average low of around 62.5 degrees. The highest temperature was 89 degrees on July 4 and Monday and the lowest temperature this month was 56 on July 4.

So why such a long stretch of warm, and even hot days?

“We were just kind of stuck in this stagnant pattern where we were constantly pumping additional warm air into the region,” she said.

Beyond the warm temperatures, recent days have been notable for intense rain and thunderstorms.

On Monday, the office reported a record of 1.95 inches of rainfall for the date, breaking the 2014 record of 1.59 inches. On Friday, another rainfall record was broken, with 0.82 inches breaking the 1967 record of 0.58 inches for the date.

That brings the total rainfall this month to 3.13 inches, around 2.24 inches above normal for this time in July.

The heat, rain and thunderstorms are related, Ritzman said.

“Essentially what happens when we get these really warm temperatures in the pattern that we’re in, we get these systems that roll across the top,” Ritzman said. “The main thing that kind of parked the warm temperatures in the area for the past week or so was the upper level ridge that’s kind of built across the Southwest and up into the Great Lakes. And now that we’ve had these thunderstorms roll through, they kind of break down that ridge. So we get these systems that track right along the northern edge of these upper level ridges. And so that’s what’s brought about the showers and thunderstorms that we’ve seen as of late.”

However, this weekend and the coming days are expected to be cooler and drier, with the National Weather Service forecasting highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s today through Tuesday night.

So why the relative cool down?

“The pattern has brought us this longstanding, really warm — and occasionally hot — temperatures over the last week or two, it is starting to break down,” she said. “We’re going to have a couple of cold fronts move through the area. So that’s going to bring in some cooler air for the weekend.”

Despite the cooler weekend weather, a high of 80 degrees is predicted for Wednesday.

“It does look like — especially kind of the middle to late parts of next week — we will start to get back into some warmer temperatures,” she said. “Right now, it does look like we will see the above normal temperatures return mid to late next week.”

And what about the rest of the month?

There is an above-normal chance that the Upper Peninsula will experience higher than average temperatures this month, according to the National Weather Service’s temperature probability outlook for July. Ritzman said it currently looks like this prediction will hold for the second half of the month.

“For the mid to late part of July, we are still in that above-normal potential for warmer temperatures,” she said.

With higher-than-average summer temperatures forecast, it’s critical to be mindful of risks related to prolonged heat and sun exposure, she said.

“If you’re spending any time outside in the heat of the afternoon you want to take frequent breaks and make sure you’re drinking plenty of water,” she said.

It’s also key to check in on neighbors, friends and family amid the heat and ensure that no one is left in an unattended vehicle.

“Even if it’s a short trip to the grocery store, you never want to leave anyone unattended in a vehicle, especially young children or the elderly. Even your pets, they can suffer heat-related illnesses very quickly, just like we can.”

For more information, visit weather.gov or the National Weather Service on Facebook.