Many in the United States are set to receive a blast of cold air, ice and heavy snow this week as a strong storm system races across the country.
However, in the Southeast and much of the mid-Atlantic, a very different scene is likely to unfold.
Instead of cold and snow, millions are likely to experience record-shattering warmth, according to AccuWeather forecasters. In what has already been a mild winter for some, many locations will soon have weather that is more typical of May or June than February.
Both of these weather events will largely be fueled by a broad area of high pressure, anchored hundreds of miles off the Atlantic coast near Bermuda. While this will lead to calm, tranquil weather offshore, the winds along the outer edges will help drive the threat of thunderstorms and the warmup peaking soon after.
“Since winds flow clockwise around areas of high pressure, this ridge off the coast will keep winds pointed out of the south for much of the Southeast, allowing warm air to spill northward for a lengthy period of time,” AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco explained.
This warmer weather will first be felt in the Gulf Coast states. After having high temperatures near average in the 50s and 60s on Sunday, locations from eastern Texas to Georgia may have the mercury surge by over 10 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday.
In New Orleans, after temperatures were unable to get out of the 50s on Friday and Saturday, a high of 77 F is in store for Monday. Historically, the average high temperature for the date in the Big Easy is 68 degrees.
Nearby to the north, a similar warmup is set to take shape. Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta are both set to climb into the 70s on Monday. Memphis, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, will also have temperatures climb to comfortable levels, with highs in the upper 60s to near 70.
By Tuesday, temperatures near or in the 70s will surge even farther north, reaching cities such as Richmond, Virginia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. While the passage of a major storm to the north may lead to a cooler day for some on Wednesday, the warmth will finally peak toward the end of the week.
In the Carolinas, temperatures on Thursday are set to feel more like early summer than winter. Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, are both set to surge into the low or mid-80s during the afternoon, which would easily break the daily record highs in both cities.
Should the temperature in Charlotte reach 82 F or higher, something that has a good chance of occurring, it would reach the all-time February temperature for the city. While somewhat less likely, Raleigh will tie its February record should the city reach 85 degrees.
Temperatures in the 80s will also extend well southward, into the Gulf Coast states and down the Florida Peninsula.
“In South Florida, in the Fort Myers and Miami areas, a few inland spots may even manage to reach the 90-degree mark on Thursday,” Danco said.
In the mid-Atlantic, temperatures are set to rise late this week as well. Much of Virginia’s Interstate-95 corridor is likely to reach the 80-degree mark, with Washington D.C., possibly getting there too.
Pennsylvania is likely to have a sharp contrast from north to south across the state. While the northernmost locations may struggle to get above 50, southern portions of the state will climb well into the 70s.
State College, Pennsylvania, will sit in the middle of this warm and cool air, with a forecast high of 67 F. The city has been on a weather roller coaster as of late; after peaking at 72 degrees last Wednesday, Saturday morning’s low bottomed out at a frigid 19 F.
As is often the case in the second half of winter, major temperature swings are set to continue for much of the country. Because of this, next week may bring a quick return to more winterlike weather across the East.
Produced in association with AccuWeather.
