It’s going to be a beautiful spring weekend in the Northeast. On Friday and Saturday, mostly sunny skies will push highs to around 80 degrees from Washington to New York City. It will be perfect weather for spending time outside and enjoying meals on the patio — until Sunday, at least.
A strong spring storm is set to sweep across the Lower 48 in the second half of this week and will assuredly put an end to the beautiful spring weather that precedes it.
After temperatures reach the 70s and 80s in much of the eastern United States, this storm will pull them down into the 30s and 40s. Parts of the upper plains and upper Midwest will even drop into the teens and 20s. Severe thunderstorms are in the forecast across the South and Mid-Atlantic, and a windy, white-out snowstorm looks as though it will hit the northern states. Yes, there might be a blizzard in the upper Midwest this week.
The convergence zone between winter and summer seems to be set around Nebraska, and the dichotomy between the weather patterns is striking.
To the north, a winter storm watch is in place from Montana to far northern Nebraska. Up to 18 inches of snow is possible in parts of the Dakotas. As the storm shifts east, it will take the wintry precipitation into Minnesota and Wisconsin, where freezing rain and sleet looks to combine with snow to create hazardous travel conditions. Forecast models have been suggesting up to 20 inches of snow is possible anywhere from Minnesota to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, depending on the storm’s final track.
Immediately to the south of the winter storm watch is a red flag warning — issued when conditions are hot, dry and ripe for wildfires. Highs may reach 90 degrees in the Texas Panhandle on Wednesday. Highs in the 80s will extend north into Nebraska.
In addition to the snow up north, the storm will produce severe weather in the South starting Friday. The Storm Prediction Center issued an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms from eastern Texas to southwest Missouri for Friday morning to Saturday morning. An “enhanced” risk means numerous severe storms are possible, and they will probably be persistent and could be widespread. Damaging wind gusts, large hail and tornadoes are possible.
Cities under the enhanced risk on Friday and Saturday morning include Shreveport, La., Little Rock and Springfield, Mo.
[Spring in Washington is a wild ride of weather whiplash. Here’s why that happens.]
Through the weekend the storm will shift east, ending up in the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday. Damaging wind gusts, large hail and tornadoes will be possible in the late afternoon as the cold front approaches.
Behind the severe weather and the cold front, winterlike temperatures will blow in. Highs on Saturday could surpass 80 degrees in the Washington region. Southern New England will see highs in the 70s. These temperatures are around 20 degrees above normal for mid-April.
But as quickly as the warm weather arrives, it will head out. By Tuesday next week, highs will be back in the 40s and 50s in the Northeast. In Pennsylvania and Upstate New York, temperatures won’t get any higher than the 30s on Tuesday afternoon.
This weather whiplash is typical for April, when winter storms slowly give way to summer warmth. But just because it’s normal doesn’t mean you have to like it.
