Warmth to surge across central US as record-challenging temperatures unfold
Temperatures 10-25 degrees Fahrenheit above the historical average will spread from the Plains to part of the Midwest and Southeast this weekend, bringing a September-like feel as the risk of wildfires increase.
AccuWeather’s Ariella Scalese takes a look at the forecast for the United States this weekend.
As the Northeast endures blustery, chilly weather and rain floods parts of California, an estimated 1.5 million square miles of the central United States will remain dry and sunny, with temperatures rising well above historical mid-November averages through the weekend.
A northward bulge in the jet stream positioned over the nation’s midsection will block colder air and storms from the Front Range of the Rockies through the Plains, much of the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast through the coming days.
As the pattern continues, temperatures on Saturday afternoon had either closely approached, tied or broken daily record highs across parts of the Plains and Mississippi Valley. Widespread highs in the 80s were commonplace across the southern Plains, temperatures more typical of early September.
From the Dakotas to Minnesota and much of Wisconsin, the warmth peaked Friday with widespread highs in the 60s. Cooler air will advance southeast over the weekend, with highs in Chicago, for example, expected to barely eclipse the 50-degree-Fahrenheit mark on Sunday.
On Monday, highs only reached the mid-40s in Atlanta and Charlotte, and dropped into the 30s across central and northern Florida in the early-morning hours.
As warmer air moves in from the Central states, highs will climb into the 70s in Atlanta and near 80 in Orlando. The average highs for mid-November are in the mid-60s in Atlanta and upper 70s in Orlando.
Along with the warm and dry pattern will come an elevated risk of wildfires. Breezes will add to this danger in areas where vegetation has already dried out from the summer.
The wildfire threat is expected to shift from the southern Plains to the Southeast this week as moisture from the Gulf begins to spread from the lower Mississippi Valley toward the southern Rockies.
Depending on the strength and path of an approaching storm system, the current dry pattern could end, raising the potential for flash flooding in small streams and urban areas.
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