Eastern, western US to play temperature tug of war
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 5, 2022 8:05 AM EST
|
Updated Apr 6, 2022 11:46 PM EST
One family cleaning up storm damage in North Texas said they’ve made the decision to build a storm shelter after a close call during a tornado-warned storm.
Temperature changes during the spring can be quite dramatic across the United States, and the weather over the next week will take it to the extreme as cold air sweeps in and out of the Central and Eastern regions while heat comes and goes in the West. The back-and-forth pattern could culminate with an extensive outbreak of severe weather over the middle of the nation next week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
The cooler weather will bring temperatures down to 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit below average for the early and middle parts of April. However, when factoring in breezy conditions in some areas, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures can knock the how-it-feels condition down another 10-20 degrees at times. Normal highs range from the middle 50s in areas such as northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to the low to middle 70s in much of Georgia.
The biggest temperature plunge in the short-term will take place from Wednesday and Thursday over the Central states and from Thursday to Friday over the Southeast. In Chicago, following a high of 55 F on Wednesday, the temperature may struggle to reach much past 40 Friday with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures settling in the 20s and 30s. In Atlanta, some 600 miles farther to the southeast, a high of 73 F on Wednesday will be swapped with a high in the upper 50s Friday.
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The nighttime chill could become a concern for gardening and agricultural interests, especially if winds drop off and skies become clear. Portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, the northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, as well as the western and central parts of North Carolina and Virginia, could be subject to a few hours of frost or freezing air during the early morning hours. Some spring flowers and blossoms may be at risk for damage.
Temperatures will trend downward in the Northeast this weekend after peaking late this week. The change will be much less dramatic than that of the Central and Southeastern regions and will pale in comparison to some of the big swings from earlier this year. For example, following a high in the lower 60s in New York City Friday, highs will be in the 50s over the weekend. However, the air will be cold enough for wet snowflakes to fly over the higher elevations of the mountains from West Virginia to upstate New York and northwestern New England this weekend. Highs in these areas are forecast to settle in the 30s to lower 40s.
After the wave of cold air cycles through, a dramatic change in the jet stream will take place next week. A large southward dip in the jet stream will be replaced with a massive northward bulge in the eastern half of the nation, while just the opposite occurs in the western half of the nation.
This configuration may bring some of the warmest conditions of the season so far from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast and will wipe out record-challenging heat in California and the Southwest. The 2022 high-temperature marks of 74 in Chicago and New York City, 80 in Washington, D.C., and 83 in Atlanta could be matched or eclipsed next week.
Meanwhile, record-challenging highs in the 90s in Los Angeles late this week may be swapped with highs in the mid-60s early next week, where the average high is in the low to middle 70s during early April.
A large storm is likely to evolve during the pattern change, forecasters say. This will bring the chance of some rain in lower elevations of the Southwest, including California, Nevada and Arizona.
The storm could also produce a sprawling snowfall over the mountains of the West and parts of the High Plains, depending on the magnitude of the cold air and available moisture. A late-season heavy snowfall could provide some extra runoff to streams and rivers later this spring which would be a beneficial development. Much of the West is in the throes of a massive drought that is likely to get much worse this summer.
The heaviest snow is most likely to fall across parts of Wyoming and central Colorado to portions of the Dakotas, the Nebraska Panhandle and central and northern Minnesota. In these areas, more than a foot of snow could pile up from Sunday to Wednesday.
The pattern flip is likely to have more serious weather consequences than temperature flips and a heavy spring snowstorm, however.
An outbreak of severe weather is possible during the middle days of next week. This time the threat may extend much farther to the north when compared to multiple rounds that have pushed eastward across the Southern states during March and early April.
"The potential is there for a significant round of severe weather that starts on the Plains Tuesday and spreads from the Plains to the Mississippi Valley and Midwest on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
Severe weather could be of concern for many cities across the central U.S. from Dallas to Omaha, Nebraska, Chicago and St. Louis.
"This could get nasty in terms of severe weather for the middle of the nation next week, Pastelok said, adding, "It looks like high pressure will set up along the southern Atlantic coast. The circulation around the high will allow warm and humid air to be pulled from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to right into the storm system."
At this point, AccuWeather meteorologists believe that all facets of severe weather are possible, ranging from large hail and flash flooding to powerful wind gusts and tornadoes. Forecasters will provide additional details on the magnitude and timing of the severe weather threat in the coming days.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Eastern, western US to play temperature tug of war
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 5, 2022 8:05 AM EST | Updated Apr 6, 2022 11:46 PM EST
One family cleaning up storm damage in North Texas said they’ve made the decision to build a storm shelter after a close call during a tornado-warned storm.
Temperature changes during the spring can be quite dramatic across the United States, and the weather over the next week will take it to the extreme as cold air sweeps in and out of the Central and Eastern regions while heat comes and goes in the West. The back-and-forth pattern could culminate with an extensive outbreak of severe weather over the middle of the nation next week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
The cooler weather will bring temperatures down to 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit below average for the early and middle parts of April. However, when factoring in breezy conditions in some areas, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures can knock the how-it-feels condition down another 10-20 degrees at times. Normal highs range from the middle 50s in areas such as northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to the low to middle 70s in much of Georgia.
The biggest temperature plunge in the short-term will take place from Wednesday and Thursday over the Central states and from Thursday to Friday over the Southeast. In Chicago, following a high of 55 F on Wednesday, the temperature may struggle to reach much past 40 Friday with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures settling in the 20s and 30s. In Atlanta, some 600 miles farther to the southeast, a high of 73 F on Wednesday will be swapped with a high in the upper 50s Friday.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The nighttime chill could become a concern for gardening and agricultural interests, especially if winds drop off and skies become clear. Portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, the northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, as well as the western and central parts of North Carolina and Virginia, could be subject to a few hours of frost or freezing air during the early morning hours. Some spring flowers and blossoms may be at risk for damage.
Temperatures will trend downward in the Northeast this weekend after peaking late this week. The change will be much less dramatic than that of the Central and Southeastern regions and will pale in comparison to some of the big swings from earlier this year. For example, following a high in the lower 60s in New York City Friday, highs will be in the 50s over the weekend. However, the air will be cold enough for wet snowflakes to fly over the higher elevations of the mountains from West Virginia to upstate New York and northwestern New England this weekend. Highs in these areas are forecast to settle in the 30s to lower 40s.
After the wave of cold air cycles through, a dramatic change in the jet stream will take place next week. A large southward dip in the jet stream will be replaced with a massive northward bulge in the eastern half of the nation, while just the opposite occurs in the western half of the nation.
This configuration may bring some of the warmest conditions of the season so far from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast and will wipe out record-challenging heat in California and the Southwest. The 2022 high-temperature marks of 74 in Chicago and New York City, 80 in Washington, D.C., and 83 in Atlanta could be matched or eclipsed next week.
Meanwhile, record-challenging highs in the 90s in Los Angeles late this week may be swapped with highs in the mid-60s early next week, where the average high is in the low to middle 70s during early April.
A large storm is likely to evolve during the pattern change, forecasters say. This will bring the chance of some rain in lower elevations of the Southwest, including California, Nevada and Arizona.
The storm could also produce a sprawling snowfall over the mountains of the West and parts of the High Plains, depending on the magnitude of the cold air and available moisture. A late-season heavy snowfall could provide some extra runoff to streams and rivers later this spring which would be a beneficial development. Much of the West is in the throes of a massive drought that is likely to get much worse this summer.
The heaviest snow is most likely to fall across parts of Wyoming and central Colorado to portions of the Dakotas, the Nebraska Panhandle and central and northern Minnesota. In these areas, more than a foot of snow could pile up from Sunday to Wednesday.
The pattern flip is likely to have more serious weather consequences than temperature flips and a heavy spring snowstorm, however.
An outbreak of severe weather is possible during the middle days of next week. This time the threat may extend much farther to the north when compared to multiple rounds that have pushed eastward across the Southern states during March and early April.
"The potential is there for a significant round of severe weather that starts on the Plains Tuesday and spreads from the Plains to the Mississippi Valley and Midwest on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
Severe weather could be of concern for many cities across the central U.S. from Dallas to Omaha, Nebraska, Chicago and St. Louis.
"This could get nasty in terms of severe weather for the middle of the nation next week, Pastelok said, adding, "It looks like high pressure will set up along the southern Atlantic coast. The circulation around the high will allow warm and humid air to be pulled from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to right into the storm system."
At this point, AccuWeather meteorologists believe that all facets of severe weather are possible, ranging from large hail and flash flooding to powerful wind gusts and tornadoes. Forecasters will provide additional details on the magnitude and timing of the severe weather threat in the coming days.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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