Unsettled weather in Northeast to bring clash of seasons between New England, mid-Atlantic
Several storms are set to track across the Northeast during the first week of May. These storms will act as the dividing line between the chilly air across New England and the warmth in the mid-Atlantic.
Jackets will be needed for many across New England and upstate New York, where many high temperatures will be held to the 50s, and even the 40s, through Friday.
In the mornings, temperatures will start off in the upper 30s and lower 40s. More remote areas could see frost, which could be a danger to any sensitive plants outdoors.
Cities like Burlington, Vermont; Boston; and Portland, Maine, will all be entrenched in the chill, needing to wait until the weekend for temperatures to return to normal.
Conversely, residents from North Carolina to Ohio will see the mercury rise well above normal this week.
"Parts of the Ohio Valley could have temperatures near 80 for several days, well above normal for early May," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
More suitable weather for shorts and flip-flops will persist for cities such as Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Washington, D.C.
The mercury reached 85 F in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. While it is common for the Steel City to reach the 80s in May, the average temperature doesn't reach that threshold until mid-to-late June.
The more southern locations could even reach 90 by Thursday afternoon.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see how warm it will get in your area this week.
With the summerlike heat, residents should be sure to take the necessary steps to not overexert themselves. Cooler mornings and evenings may be the best time to do yard work outside.
Those out and about should keep in mind that heat can still build to dangerous levels inside sealed cars on sunny days this time of year.
"Temperature contrasts between the coldest and warmest areas will be greatest on Thursday," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Steve Travis.
"Parts of eastern New England will be in the 40s, while southern Pennsylvania soars into the 80s," he added.
Cities in the middle between these two temperature ranges will end up being the battleground.
Fluctuations in temperature will be the norm for hubs like New York City, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.
Depending on the location of the nearest storm, cities could have one day with temperatures in the 80s, followed by a day in the 60s, only to return to the 70s by week's end.
In addition to changeable temperatures, the rounds of rain could also play a role in spoiling any outdoor plans for the rest of the week. For many, breaks in the rain will be short-lived, with only a few able to have a full 24 hours of rain-free weather.
On Thursday, it will start off wet across New England. As the day persists, showers and heavy, gusty thunderstorms will move into the Ohio Valley and reach western Pennsylvania and West Virginia by Thursday night. By this time, most of New England will be dry.
Most places will be wet on Friday as a storm moves through New York, bringing showers and thunderstorms from New England to the Southeast. This wet weather may hold off until the afternoon in the I-95 corridor from New York City to Raleigh.
Check AccuWeather MinuteCast® to see when the rain will begin and stop in your area.
After a brief lull in the wet weather later Friday night into Saturday afternoon across parts of the mid-Atlantic, a storm tracking eastward from Kentucky to the Delmarva Peninsula will spread another round of steady, soaking rain into Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, southern New York and southeastern New England from Saturday evening into Sunday.
Many locations may receive between one and two inches of rain from this storm system alone, and high temperatures may struggle to get out of the 50s in areas impacted by persistent rain on Sunday.
To the south of the storm, the potential for gusty, to in some cases severe, thunderstorms will exist from southern Virginia into the Carolinas.
By the end of the soggy weekend, a pattern change is forecast, allowing for longer breaks between storms. This will likely allow temperatures to return back closer to near-normal levels for a more extended period of time by early next week.
Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
