Cold snap, freeze to follow first heat wave of 2026 in part of eastern US
Record-challenging heat will give way to a sharp temperature drop, bringing freeze risks that could threaten buds, blossoms and annual garden flowers across parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
After a stretch of July- and August-like warmth, the heat in the mid-Atlantic peaked Thursday, then a cross-country cold front will bring cooler air to Chicago Saturday and the East Coast by late Sunday into Monday.
The clock is ticking on the summerlike weather across much of the eastern United States, with a potentially painful reality check coming this weekend to the Great Lakes, then expanding to the Northeast early next week.
For tens of millions across parts of the Midwest and East, temperatures are expected to challenge daily record highs and reach levels more typical of early summer Friday and into Saturday.
A slew of record highs were set Wednesday, including in many of the major mid-Atlantic cities.
Philadelphia reached a high of 91, while Washington, D.C., and New York City hit 91 and 90 respectively. The high in Baltimore reached 93. This is the earliest occurrence of 90-degree temperatures in Philadelphia since April 16, 2002. It was also the earliest 90-degree day in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., since April of 2013.
A wedge of cool air snuck southward along the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts Thursday, creating a significant temperature contrast from the beaches to areas several miles inland that will last through Saturday.
Farther south, the heat will hold on. Temperatures in Charlotte could challenge the daily record of 93 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1896 Saturday. In Atlanta, daily record highs are expected to be challenged through Saturday.
Showers and severe thunderstorms may limit temperatures in parts of the Midwest, but Nashville could still challenge record highs Friday.
Another surge of heat can occur Saturday in portions of the Atlantic Seaboard.
Another cold shock in the works
A storm forecast to bring late-season snow to part of the Intermountain West into Friday will bring a new round of severe weather to the Central states and drag cooler to colder air eastward this weekend.
The shift in temperatures may feel more like a changing of the seasons, with widespread summerlike conditions during the day on Friday and Saturday, followed by nighttime lows more typical of late winter or early spring, with some spots dipping down into the 20s. For some locations, this will be a 50- to 60-degree temperature drop.
Temperatures are forecast to fall to near or below freezing by Monday morning in locations such as Madison, Wisconsin; Lansing, Michigan; and Binghamton, New York.
By Tuesday morning, as colder air expands southward and eastward, near- to below-freezing temperatures are expected in Cleveland; Shenandoah, Virginia; Allentown, Pennsylvania; and Worcester, Massachusetts. Pockets of freezing conditions may also reach coastal areas, including Long Island, New York, and southern New Jersey.
The incoming cold may pose a risk to annual flowers that were planted during the recent warm period or are currently available at garden centers. These plants may need to be protected or brought in from the cold at night.
Significant impacts may occur to trees, vines and bushes where buds have broken through or softened due to the warm conditions.
"Multiple days of unusually warm conditions, in some cases combined with downpours, will tend to accelerate budding and blossoming earlier than usual," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "Temperatures during April so far are running 2 to 8 degrees above the historical average in the East, and that alone has been putting pressure on early blossoming and leaf-out, despite cold conditions earlier in the year."
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Damaged buds and blossoms could affect fruit production later in the year.
The cold conditions are expected to last only a couple of days before temperatures slowly rebound.
"However, due to atmospheric patterns in the northern Pacific, additional cool periods are possible later in April and into May," Pastelok said.
In the Southeast states, the transition from heat to cooler and less humid conditions may allow some much-needed rain to fall in some locations this weekend. Much of the region has been experiencing drought and increased wildfire danger.
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