Turbulent temperatures, more frosts and freezes ahead for Midwest, Northeast this week
The first half of May for the Midwest and Northeast will be largely cooler than average, but also will feature brief warmups that will keep all different types of clothing relevant for the time being.
Thankfully, this March-like weather won’t last forever. AccuWeather’s Anna Azallion shows you how the month is shaping up.
Spring temperatures can be fickle, and residents of the Midwest and Northeast will continue to be reminded of that through the better part of the first half of May as vastly differing air masses come and go, say AccuWeather meteorologists.
This week alone, temperatures in some communities will be high enough for shorts one day, then low enough that heavy jackets will be needed not long after.
"There will be a tease of warmer weather for many to start the week before a shot of chilly air rushes in for the end of the week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Overall, the chill will win out most often over the better part of the next week or so, with the prospect of additional frost and freeze events, which historically become rarer as May progresses for most.
After a chilly weekend, a warmup to start the workweek
The first weekend of May will go down in the books as a cool one, with temperatures 5-15 degrees below historical averages across much of the Midwest and Northeast. In addition to patchy frosts and freezes, there were even some snowflakes that fell from showers in areas near and downwind of the Great Lakes.
GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
•Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+
The chill, courtesy of a northerly flow from Canada, was already being replaced by warmer winds out of the south in the Midwest on Sunday. That warmup arrived in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Monday and will strengthen on Tuesday.
In New York City, high temperatures around the 60-degree-Fahrenheit mark over the weekend were replaced by readings in the 70s on Monday and will be in the 80s on Tuesday. Farther south, the mercury could reach as high as the mid-80s on Tuesday in places like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., levels not seen since a record-warm spell mid-April.
Historical averages for early May in the mid-Atlantic Interstate 95 corridor range from the upper 60s to the lower 70s.
Despite sitting right along the coast, even the Boston area will warm up nicely early in the week, with the 70s in store for Tuesday following the 50s over the weekend.
With the warmer weather, some in the Northeast may be tempted to enter local ponds, lakes and watering holes to cool off. However, this is not recommended until the summer months, as water temperatures are still very low in many of these bodies of water, which can quickly lead to cold-water shock and hypothermia.
Another cooldown arrives later in the week
Those hoping that Mother Nature is permanently making the switch to warmer weather this week will be disappointed, as yet another wave of cool, Canadian air, featuring some chill usually reserved for the polar vortex, will arrive from west to east later this week via a cold front.
"Hide your plants, hide your flowers," warned Roys about the cold coming later this week and through the following weekend.
Northern portions of the Plains and Midwest were the first to cool down on Monday. By Tuesday, cities like Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City, Missouri, will experience a 20- to 25-degree drop in high temperatures with the mercury going from higher-than-average to lower-than-average levels.
On Tuesday, while the main threat of severe storms will shift farther south, a round of steady rain will begin to signal the impending cooldown from the Ohio Valley into parts of the Northeast with locally severe storms.
For example, the high temperature in Cleveland, which easily exceeded 70 degrees on Monday, will fall to the low to mid-60s on Tuesday due to rain, and then remain in the 50s for the rest of the week behind the front.
Wednesday and Thursday will start to signal the changes closer to the Atlantic Coast. Following a peak in temperatures on Tuesday, Wednesday still looks relatively warm for many despite an uptick in cloudiness and shower activity. Thursday will effectively end the warm spell as the front moves through, again with a risk of gusty thunderstorms for some.
Similar to the first weekend of the month, temperatures will struggle to get out of the 50s along the highly populated I-95 corridor, while some interior locales have no hope of getting above the 40s. At night, more late-season frosts and freezes will be possible.
"Later this week, the threat for a freeze is mostly limited to areas that have already experienced them recently, especially across the northern Great Lakes, northern New York and interior New England," pointed out Roys.
Frost can be a bit more widespread since it can form with air temperatures that are a few degrees above the freezing mark of 32, but generally requires light winds, some moisture and a lack of cloud cover.
"Places closer to the coast still haven't experienced a frost or freeze over the last week will most likely miss out again this week from this chill," added Roys.
AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters points out that the cycle could repeat itself at least once more, with another brief warmup beginning the week of May 10, followed by another cooldown. After that, there are signs that the warmer air may have more staying power during the second half of May.
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
