Southeast to bask in springlike warmth this weekend
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Feb 28, 2021 12:52 PM EDT
The skies were filled with storm clouds as the sun set on Hialeah, Florida, on Feb. 24.
The first official day of spring arrives on March 20, but the upcoming weather across parts of the southeastern United States may make some think that Mother Nature skipped right ahead to mid-May.
An area of high pressure will promote unseasonably warm weather in the Southeast this weekend. In some locations that endured wintry precipitation and bitter cold around the middle of the month, the warmup will be quite a significant turnaround – and could even challenge some daily high-temperature records.
"This influx of unseasonable warmth will likely work to bring overall temperatures for the month of February back to closer to normal for the southern U.S.," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. "The period of brutally cold air that occurred earlier this month has led many cities like Jackson, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, to run an average of 4 to 8 degrees below normal for the month."
By comparison, locations farther to the east are running warmer than normal so far this month. Much of the central and southern Florida Peninsula is 3 to 4 degrees above normal for the month. It will be in these same locations where the highest temperatures are expected this weekend, with warm southerly winds around the high pressure.
Tampa, Florida, managed to climb to 85 degrees on Saturday. This fell just one degree short of tying the record high temperature of 86 degrees for Feb. 27 that was set in 2017. Tampa's average high temperature reaches 86, on average, around May 7.
While Tampa may have fallen short of a record on Saturday, other cities across the southeast managed to either tie or eclipse record high temperatures.
Many other locations along the Florida Peninsula are also forecast to reach the middle 80s F over the weekend. However, records in cities such as Miami and Orlando are higher and the forecast highs will likely fall short of rewriting the record books. This will be the case in other locations across the Southeast as well.
"Cities like New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, and Tallahassee, Florida, may all reach temperatures within 4-6 degrees of daily record highs," Gilbert added.
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The warmth is likely to be turned up on notch on Sunday. Much of southern Alabama, southeastern Georgia and the entirety of the Florida Peninsula should reach or exceed 80 degrees. In the warmest locations, it is not out of the question that parts of southwestern Florida approach 90 degrees.
Orlando is likely to get close to a record on Sunday. The forecast high of 88 degrees is just shy of the record of 89 set in 1929. For the second day in a row, Tampa will also be in record territory; the forecast high of 85 degrees will be knocking on the door of the record of 86 degrees last set in 2017.
"Many cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida will reach temperatures 10-20 degrees above normal for late February. With temperatures this far above average, some records can be challenged across the Southeast and Gulf Coast," Gilbert said.
An advancing cold front with rain will trim the warmth to start the upcoming week in much of the Southeast. However, this front will stall in the northern Florida Peninsula. This will mean that temperatures will remain well above normal in central and South Florida as the calendar turns from February to March.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, Fubo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Southeast to bask in springlike warmth this weekend
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Feb 28, 2021 12:52 PM EDT
The skies were filled with storm clouds as the sun set on Hialeah, Florida, on Feb. 24.
The first official day of spring arrives on March 20, but the upcoming weather across parts of the southeastern United States may make some think that Mother Nature skipped right ahead to mid-May.
An area of high pressure will promote unseasonably warm weather in the Southeast this weekend. In some locations that endured wintry precipitation and bitter cold around the middle of the month, the warmup will be quite a significant turnaround – and could even challenge some daily high-temperature records.
"This influx of unseasonable warmth will likely work to bring overall temperatures for the month of February back to closer to normal for the southern U.S.," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. "The period of brutally cold air that occurred earlier this month has led many cities like Jackson, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, to run an average of 4 to 8 degrees below normal for the month."
By comparison, locations farther to the east are running warmer than normal so far this month. Much of the central and southern Florida Peninsula is 3 to 4 degrees above normal for the month. It will be in these same locations where the highest temperatures are expected this weekend, with warm southerly winds around the high pressure.
Tampa, Florida, managed to climb to 85 degrees on Saturday. This fell just one degree short of tying the record high temperature of 86 degrees for Feb. 27 that was set in 2017. Tampa's average high temperature reaches 86, on average, around May 7.
While Tampa may have fallen short of a record on Saturday, other cities across the southeast managed to either tie or eclipse record high temperatures.
Many other locations along the Florida Peninsula are also forecast to reach the middle 80s F over the weekend. However, records in cities such as Miami and Orlando are higher and the forecast highs will likely fall short of rewriting the record books. This will be the case in other locations across the Southeast as well.
"Cities like New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, and Tallahassee, Florida, may all reach temperatures within 4-6 degrees of daily record highs," Gilbert added.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The warmth is likely to be turned up on notch on Sunday. Much of southern Alabama, southeastern Georgia and the entirety of the Florida Peninsula should reach or exceed 80 degrees. In the warmest locations, it is not out of the question that parts of southwestern Florida approach 90 degrees.
Orlando is likely to get close to a record on Sunday. The forecast high of 88 degrees is just shy of the record of 89 set in 1929. For the second day in a row, Tampa will also be in record territory; the forecast high of 85 degrees will be knocking on the door of the record of 86 degrees last set in 2017.
"Many cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida will reach temperatures 10-20 degrees above normal for late February. With temperatures this far above average, some records can be challenged across the Southeast and Gulf Coast," Gilbert said.
An advancing cold front with rain will trim the warmth to start the upcoming week in much of the Southeast. However, this front will stall in the northern Florida Peninsula. This will mean that temperatures will remain well above normal in central and South Florida as the calendar turns from February to March.
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, Fubo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo