Major Northeast warmup to bring highs near 80
Following a frosty start to the week, temperatures will be on the rise across the East along with a string of sunny days. But, how long will it last? AccuWeather forecasters weigh in.
It will feel more like mid-September rather than late October in the Northeast following a frosty start to the week.
The weekend storm and the cold blusters that followed in the Northeast are a thing of the past as those hoping for a long stretch of dry and sunny conditions will get their wish this week. AccuWeather meteorologists say conditions more fitting of mid-September rather than late October will grace much of the eastern United States this week after a frosty start in some locations.
The weather will provide leaf-peeping opportunities where cold winds did not dislodge leaves over the weekend. AccuWeather forecasters say there will be pleasant conditions for those looking to catch up on outdoor projects, exercise outdoors, or do any last-minute Halloween decorating.
A strong area of high pressure will sprawl over much of the eastern third of the U.S. this week. As it builds, daytime highs will trend upward in most of the East.
For example, in Philadelphia, after daytime temperatures rose to 69 F on Tuesday, temperatures will climb well into the 70s F on Wednesday and peak within a few degrees of 80 F from Thursday to Saturday.
It will be a similar story for Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, where highs in the 80s are in the AccuWeather forecast later this week.
In New York City and Boston, and farther to the west in Pittsburgh, temperatures will climb into the 70s during the middle and latter part of the week and over the weekend.
The nighttime and morning hours will still be chilly, especially for the first half of the week.
But, like daytime temperatures, nighttime temperatures will also trend upward. Following lows in the 30s, 40s and 50s on Tuesday night, nighttime lows will generally be in the 40s, 50s and lower 60s by the end of the week.
Mild conditions are also in store across the Southeast. Around Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as many other large cities, small towns and rural locations, daytime highs during the middle to latter part of the week will range from the upper 70s to the mid-80s with abundant sunshine each day.
AccuWeather forecasters say that the weather may offer some great conditions at the beach with ample sunshine most days through Friday and perhaps at least some sunny intervals this weekend. Water temperatures have cooled to the 50s and 60s in the Northeast and the 70s in much of the Southeast, but the sand will be warm in the afternoons on the beach.
The pattern beyond this week
As conditions warm up in the East, just the opposite will unfold with winter paying a visit to parts of the West. Arctic air will invade the northern Rockies and northern Plains this week with windblown snow.
Some of that cold will be modified as it heads east, but a substantial drop in temperature is likely by Halloween and into the first days of November for the Northeast and parts of the Southeast.
Following seven rainy weekends in a row with wet weather on at least one of the weekend days in New York City and many other locations of the Northeast, there is a chance that rain will hold off this coming weekend, AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
"There's at least one way that it could shower a couple of times as a cold front approaches from the west and slows down over the region," DeVore said. "The front is not likely to bring an all-day rain or a deluge like some storms have done in many recent weekends, at least for New York City."
That front is likely to spread a swath of clouds and rain on its backside later this weekend. However, that chilly, wet zone may set up from northern New England to the central Appalachians and the Ohio Valley.
Colder air will continue to advance in waves next week. There is a likelihood of the first rounds of lake-effect snow to occur as the week progresses.
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