Big spring warmup on the horizon after invasion of cold
By
Nicole LoBiondo, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Apr 25, 2021 8:19 AM EST
Parts of central Ohio got buried under spring snowfall on April 21. With May around the corner, the snow is surely overstaying its welcome.
The weather changes of late have been dizzying across the Midwest and Northeast, and yet another major pattern change is in store. By the end of this week, people who live in these regions may feel like they've endured all four of the seasons within one week. An Arctic blast and even some snow made a visit to many areas this past week, but AccuWeather forecasters say a dramatic turnaround could make it feel more like summer by the middle of this week.
As conditions gradually warmed ahead of this weekend across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, many locations thawed out after a storm dumped several inches of late-season snow across the region.
Recorded snowfall reports as of 1 p.m. Wednesday showed the highest totals were in northern Ohio. Snow reports also came in as far south as Kentucky.
As winter weather gets the boot in the Northeast, temperatures gradually rose through the rest of the week, but some wet weather will accompany the milder air over the weekend.
"Soaking rain is set to sweep all the way up to northern New England Sunday and Sunday night," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
However, dreary conditions will not last long in the Northeast as an area of high pressure is expected to usher in dry conditions at the beginning of this week.
"Just like the cold snaps of winter, this early spring reprise of winter snow and cold retreats quickly to the north after this weekend, hopefully putting an end to early-season freeze and frost concerns for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dean DeVore explained.
Temperatures are expected to rebound in the Northeast by this week with conditions feeling more like mid-May than early March for most, leaving many warm weather lovers jumping for joy.
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The seeds of the warmth will be planted over parts of the southern Plains and Midwest by Sunday where high temperatures in portions of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri are set to hit the mid- to upper 70s and could come within 5-10 degrees of record levels by Monday.
This will be a stark contrast to the high temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s in cities like Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis; Madison, Wisconsin; and Chicago on Thursday and Friday this week.
Afternoon highs on several days this week may climb 50 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the lowest levels felt this week on Thursday and Friday mornings, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
"By Monday, a large swath of the country from the Midwest to the central and southern Appalachians will feel like the calendar flipped to May," Gilbert said.
The driving force behind the warm surge will be a pronounced northward bulge in the jet stream. As the jet stream continues to lift northward across the eastern half of the country at the start of the upcoming week, it will allow warmer air from the south to travel farther north, spreading across much the Central and Eastern states.
"While some of the areas that experience record-challenging warmth to start the week will likely remain warm through at least Tuesday, the core of the greatest warmth will shift over the Northeast by that time," Gilbert noted.
This abrupt warmup could lead to weather whiplash for some residents across portions of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic that had low temperatures ranging from the middle 20s to low 40s Thursday morning.
Rather than feeling like early March, it will feel more like mid-May as temperatures are set to soar into the upper 70s to low 80s in cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., by Tuesday and into the middle of this week. These cities can all experience a jump to warmer conditions of about 25-35 degrees for afternoon highs by the middle of this week compared to the middle of this week.
Temperatures are likely to come up short of record levels in most locations across the East, but conditions will still rise to 10 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. Normally in late April, high temperatures will reach the upper 50s in northern New England, lower 60s in the upper Great Lakes to the upper 60s in the Ohio Valley and the Chesapeake Bay region.
This warmth is expected to linger until the next storm takes shape over the center of the country by the middle of this week and moves east by late week.
With the warm weather expected across the Central and Eastern states this coming week, many may be tempted to plant warm-season flowers and vegetables. AccuWeather long-range meteorologists advise caution due to the risk of some brief chilly spells that may follow in the Midwest and Northeast into mid-May.
"We have been expressing concern about the risk of later-than-average frosts and freezes in the zone from the central and southern Plains to the Northeast states from late-April to the middle of May in our spring 2021 outlook," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Big spring warmup on the horizon after invasion of cold
By Nicole LoBiondo, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Apr 25, 2021 8:19 AM EST
Parts of central Ohio got buried under spring snowfall on April 21. With May around the corner, the snow is surely overstaying its welcome.
The weather changes of late have been dizzying across the Midwest and Northeast, and yet another major pattern change is in store. By the end of this week, people who live in these regions may feel like they've endured all four of the seasons within one week. An Arctic blast and even some snow made a visit to many areas this past week, but AccuWeather forecasters say a dramatic turnaround could make it feel more like summer by the middle of this week.
As conditions gradually warmed ahead of this weekend across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, many locations thawed out after a storm dumped several inches of late-season snow across the region.
Recorded snowfall reports as of 1 p.m. Wednesday showed the highest totals were in northern Ohio. Snow reports also came in as far south as Kentucky.
As winter weather gets the boot in the Northeast, temperatures gradually rose through the rest of the week, but some wet weather will accompany the milder air over the weekend.
"Soaking rain is set to sweep all the way up to northern New England Sunday and Sunday night," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
However, dreary conditions will not last long in the Northeast as an area of high pressure is expected to usher in dry conditions at the beginning of this week.
"Just like the cold snaps of winter, this early spring reprise of winter snow and cold retreats quickly to the north after this weekend, hopefully putting an end to early-season freeze and frost concerns for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dean DeVore explained.
Temperatures are expected to rebound in the Northeast by this week with conditions feeling more like mid-May than early March for most, leaving many warm weather lovers jumping for joy.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The seeds of the warmth will be planted over parts of the southern Plains and Midwest by Sunday where high temperatures in portions of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri are set to hit the mid- to upper 70s and could come within 5-10 degrees of record levels by Monday.
This will be a stark contrast to the high temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s in cities like Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis; Madison, Wisconsin; and Chicago on Thursday and Friday this week.
Afternoon highs on several days this week may climb 50 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the lowest levels felt this week on Thursday and Friday mornings, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
"By Monday, a large swath of the country from the Midwest to the central and southern Appalachians will feel like the calendar flipped to May," Gilbert said.
The driving force behind the warm surge will be a pronounced northward bulge in the jet stream. As the jet stream continues to lift northward across the eastern half of the country at the start of the upcoming week, it will allow warmer air from the south to travel farther north, spreading across much the Central and Eastern states.
"While some of the areas that experience record-challenging warmth to start the week will likely remain warm through at least Tuesday, the core of the greatest warmth will shift over the Northeast by that time," Gilbert noted.
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This abrupt warmup could lead to weather whiplash for some residents across portions of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic that had low temperatures ranging from the middle 20s to low 40s Thursday morning.
Rather than feeling like early March, it will feel more like mid-May as temperatures are set to soar into the upper 70s to low 80s in cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., by Tuesday and into the middle of this week. These cities can all experience a jump to warmer conditions of about 25-35 degrees for afternoon highs by the middle of this week compared to the middle of this week.
Temperatures are likely to come up short of record levels in most locations across the East, but conditions will still rise to 10 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. Normally in late April, high temperatures will reach the upper 50s in northern New England, lower 60s in the upper Great Lakes to the upper 60s in the Ohio Valley and the Chesapeake Bay region.
This warmth is expected to linger until the next storm takes shape over the center of the country by the middle of this week and moves east by late week.
With the warm weather expected across the Central and Eastern states this coming week, many may be tempted to plant warm-season flowers and vegetables. AccuWeather long-range meteorologists advise caution due to the risk of some brief chilly spells that may follow in the Midwest and Northeast into mid-May.
"We have been expressing concern about the risk of later-than-average frosts and freezes in the zone from the central and southern Plains to the Northeast states from late-April to the middle of May in our spring 2021 outlook," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo