Dramatic warmup to send temperatures through the roof in eastern US
It will feel more like the middle of spring rather than the heart of winter for millions of people across the eastern United States, with temperatures approaching record territory before the end of the week.
Troy Ellison’s body-worn camera captured the moment he rescued a child from a pond after the child fell through the ice in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Jan. 20.
As rounds of flooding rain expand over the eastern part of the United States into the end of the week, a January thaw will allow temperatures to trend well above the historical average, and they may even set some daily records, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The last pocket of Arctic air in the lower 48 states skipped off the New England coast on Wednesday. While this cold air lingered just long enough to allow ice and snow into Wednesday in parts of New England, the temperature trend will now increase into Friday for at least 200 million people from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast.
"The warmup will be dramatic, making it feel like a completely different season when compared to the frigid conditions from late last week to the start of this week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
Even though the thaw will disappoint skiers, snowboarders and snowplowing contractors, it will allow property owners and highway departments to catch their breath.
"High temperatures ranging from near zero to the 20s and 30s only a few days ago will be swapped with highs in the 40s, 50s and 60s before this week ends," Travis stated.
Chicago will have several days this week with a high near 40, 10 degrees above the historical average. Temperatures may reach the middle 50s in New York City on Thursday, which is about 15 degrees above the historical average. A few locations over the interior Southeast, such as Charlotte and Atlanta, will approach or even exceed the 70-degree mark to end the week.
While only a handful of locations are likely to set daily record high temperatures, the same cloudy conditions by day will help keep temperatures elevated at night.
Low temperatures may be many degrees higher than high temperatures were only a few days ago, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist and Social Media Producer Jesse Ferrell. This means that lows on some of the upcoming nights will range from the mid-30s across the north to the low 60s in parts of the South.
"The warm nights may result in a number of record-high minimum temperatures during the latter part of this week," Ferrell said.
The peak of the warmth for most locations will be Thursday and Friday when the combination of daytime and nighttime temperatures results in readings 10-25 degrees above the historical average.
For much of the eastern half of the nation, however, the warming trend will be accompanied by extensive clouds and areas of fog, as well as periods of drenching rain. The rainy episodes will be heavy enough to lead to flash flooding and secondary river flooding in the South Central states.
"In the Midwest and Northeast, the combination of the warmth and rounds of rain will have an effect on the snow-covered ground," Travis said. "This may bring an elevated risk for flooding, especially in areas where more than a few inches of snow currently covers the ground."
Area streams and rivers continue to run high from before the big freeze a few weeks ago. It would not take much rain to send small streams overflowing their banks and trigger significant rises on some of the secondary rivers, especially where some ice jams may develop.
The warm, moist air flowing over cold ground and snow cover will lead to another problem. Areas of dense fog may be rather persistent in some locations and could trigger airline delays and flight cancellations. Dense fog can also create dangerous conditions for motorists.
Weekend storm may mark end of warmth, return of snow and cold
Beyond Friday, another storm will roll northeastward from Texas this weekend. While conditions along the way for much of that storm will allow yet another round of rain and localized flooding for the South and the East, the storm may encounter fresh cold air as it moves through parts of the Midwest and the Northeast, causing accumulating snow in some places.
"Even though the snap back to cold weather may be dramatic later this weekend to early next week, it appears that the outbreak will be much more brief when compared to the duration of the Arctic air around midmonth," AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
