Unseasonable warmth to spread through central, eastern US
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 21, 2022 2:53 PM EST
|
Updated Apr 23, 2022 5:14 AM EST
Mother Nature will be dishing out a significant change in the weather pattern for much of the central and eastern United States through the next several days after frequent rounds of snow and cold air made it feel like winter would never leave during the first half of April.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the dramatic warmup will be downright summerlike in many areas, and the warmth could produce the highest temperatures of the year so far in a number of cities this weekend.
The last few weeks of April have featured several snowstorms across the central and eastern U.S., as well as waves of cold air which helped send temperature to midwinter levels. Just last week, cities such as Chicago and Pittsburgh struggled to reach the middle 40s F for a few days, resulting in high temperatures around 20 degrees below normal.
Now, warmth more typical of May, or even June in some cases, is set to expand across the Midwest and into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
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The gradual warmup began across portions of the Midwest at midweek. Temperatures neared normal levels in cities such as St. Louis and Indianapolis Wednesday, by topping out in the middle 60s. But these communities, and others, are forecast to record more extreme temperatures into the weekend.
"By the end of this week, many locations in the Midwest are likely to experience their warmest day of the year so far," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Temperatures were above normal in the afternoon on Friday, but for most locations in the Midwest and Great Lakes, Saturday will likely be warmer as temperatures could surge to as much as 15 or 20 degrees above normal for late April.
With highs in the 70s to lower 80s projected on Saturday, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Detroit are among the cities likely to have a new high-temperature mark for 2022. Cities such as Nashville and Cincinnati may come close to their highest temperatures of the year so far, which were set over the past several weeks.
The warmer weather is unfolding thanks to two main features on the weather map: a storm that forecasters say will produce both severe weather and another dose of snow in the Central states and a potent area of high pressure in the southeastern U.S. These features will force a northward bulge in the jet stream, according to Sosnowski, bringing warm air up through the Midwest and, eventually, the Northeast.
The progression of the warmth into the mid-Atlantic and part of the Northeast could be just as extreme. However, it will take longer for the warm air to get there.
On Friday, Boston and New York City, two cities where chilly ocean waters tend to hold temperatures back in the spring, were experiencing the warming trend with a high well into the 60s. In areas farther to the south and west, such as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the mercury climbed into the 70s.
After a milder day for most on Saturday, temperatures are forecast to peak on Sunday for the interior Northeast. Widespread temperatures in the upper 70s to the middle 80s are expected.
Not every part of the East is expected to partake in the dramatic warmup. A warm front will be slow to lift through parts of the Northeast this week, and some of the cool air will become trapped over New England.
"After a mild day in the 60s on Friday in Boston, temperatures are expected to trend below the normal of 59 degrees for the weekend," said Sosnowski. Cities like Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut, could have a similar fate, depending on how much cold air gets stuck in the region.
Overall, the widespread warmth is likely to linger in the Midwest and into the Northeast until a cold front sweeps through with thunderstorms and a fresh batch of colder air.
For cities from Washington, D.C., to Syracuse, New York, one last wave of warm air is forecast on Monday before thunderstorms help to cool the region down on Tuesday. AccuWeather meteorologists do not foresee widespread severe weather with these storms at this time but caution that gusty winds and isolated flash flooding could impact travelers.
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
Unseasonable warmth to spread through central, eastern US
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 21, 2022 2:53 PM EST | Updated Apr 23, 2022 5:14 AM EST
Mother Nature will be dishing out a significant change in the weather pattern for much of the central and eastern United States through the next several days after frequent rounds of snow and cold air made it feel like winter would never leave during the first half of April.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the dramatic warmup will be downright summerlike in many areas, and the warmth could produce the highest temperatures of the year so far in a number of cities this weekend.
The last few weeks of April have featured several snowstorms across the central and eastern U.S., as well as waves of cold air which helped send temperature to midwinter levels. Just last week, cities such as Chicago and Pittsburgh struggled to reach the middle 40s F for a few days, resulting in high temperatures around 20 degrees below normal.
Now, warmth more typical of May, or even June in some cases, is set to expand across the Midwest and into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The gradual warmup began across portions of the Midwest at midweek. Temperatures neared normal levels in cities such as St. Louis and Indianapolis Wednesday, by topping out in the middle 60s. But these communities, and others, are forecast to record more extreme temperatures into the weekend.
"By the end of this week, many locations in the Midwest are likely to experience their warmest day of the year so far," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Temperatures were above normal in the afternoon on Friday, but for most locations in the Midwest and Great Lakes, Saturday will likely be warmer as temperatures could surge to as much as 15 or 20 degrees above normal for late April.
With highs in the 70s to lower 80s projected on Saturday, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Detroit are among the cities likely to have a new high-temperature mark for 2022. Cities such as Nashville and Cincinnati may come close to their highest temperatures of the year so far, which were set over the past several weeks.
The warmer weather is unfolding thanks to two main features on the weather map: a storm that forecasters say will produce both severe weather and another dose of snow in the Central states and a potent area of high pressure in the southeastern U.S. These features will force a northward bulge in the jet stream, according to Sosnowski, bringing warm air up through the Midwest and, eventually, the Northeast.
The progression of the warmth into the mid-Atlantic and part of the Northeast could be just as extreme. However, it will take longer for the warm air to get there.
On Friday, Boston and New York City, two cities where chilly ocean waters tend to hold temperatures back in the spring, were experiencing the warming trend with a high well into the 60s. In areas farther to the south and west, such as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the mercury climbed into the 70s.
After a milder day for most on Saturday, temperatures are forecast to peak on Sunday for the interior Northeast. Widespread temperatures in the upper 70s to the middle 80s are expected.
Not every part of the East is expected to partake in the dramatic warmup. A warm front will be slow to lift through parts of the Northeast this week, and some of the cool air will become trapped over New England.
"After a mild day in the 60s on Friday in Boston, temperatures are expected to trend below the normal of 59 degrees for the weekend," said Sosnowski. Cities like Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut, could have a similar fate, depending on how much cold air gets stuck in the region.
Overall, the widespread warmth is likely to linger in the Midwest and into the Northeast until a cold front sweeps through with thunderstorms and a fresh batch of colder air.
For cities from Washington, D.C., to Syracuse, New York, one last wave of warm air is forecast on Monday before thunderstorms help to cool the region down on Tuesday. AccuWeather meteorologists do not foresee widespread severe weather with these storms at this time but caution that gusty winds and isolated flash flooding could impact travelers.
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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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