Northwest Arkansas is heating up

This week's temperatures will push near-record highs for this time of year, but it's not an anomaly.

Details: The number of days in the fall with above-average temperatures has been creeping up for the past 50 years, according to NOAA data analyzed by climate science research group Climate Central.

Of note: This chart doesn't include the meteorological fall of 2021, which ended yesterday.

Zoom out: As is the case with average temperatures worldwide, each season in the U.S. is getting warmer. In keeping with climate projections, the colder seasons are warming fastest.

• At the same time, the frequency and intensity of unusually mild days are also increasing during fall and winter across much of the continental U.S., according to NOAA data analyzed by Climate Central.