Early-Week Record Warmth to Be Followed by Quick Cold Blast

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An active weather pattern will bring widespread and noticeable temperature changes to much of the U.S. in the week ahead. Near-record warmth will start the week but will be followed by a quick blast of cold air.

High pressure will remain over the Southeast early this week. Meanwhile, the next low-pressure system will move into the Midwest Tuesday. This system will bring snow, ice and wind to the north, with rain and possibly severe thunderstorms to the south.

(MORE: Snow, Ice Return | Severe Threat)

Ahead of the system, warm temperatures will surge northward, while colder temperatures begin to infiltrate areas on the backside.

Record Warmth Possible

Ahead of an approaching low-pressure system, a southerly flow allowed temperatures to climb to 20 to 25 degrees above average in the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley on Monday. 

Daily record highs were set Monday in Austin, Texas (81 degrees), Oklahoma City (77 degrees), Tulsa, Oklahoma (76 degrees), and Fayetteville, Arkansas (67 degrees). A few record highs were also tied including Houston (81 degrees) and Memphis (73 degrees), 

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In addition to the warm conditions, dew points will also rise and it'll feel fairly humid across parts of the South early this week, especially by February standards.

By Tuesday, the anomalous warmth will spread farther north and east. High temperatures will be 15 to 30 degrees warmer than average from Texas into the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic states. This translates to highs in the 70s from the Southeast into Texas, where 80s are once again expected. Highs will climb into the 50s and 60s from southern New Jersey to central Kansas.

(FORECAST: Washington D.C. | Atlanta | St. Louis | Dallas)

A few record highs will likely be broken through Wednesday. Here are a few cities to watch for new record highs to be set early this week; the current record is in parentheses:

• Tuesday: Washington D.C. (64 degrees); Detroit (53 degrees); Paducah, Kentucky (66 degrees); Jacksonville, Florida (80 degrees); Memphis, Tennessee (72 degrees); Houston (80 degrees); Corpus Christi, Texas (83 degrees); Austin, Texas (84 degrees) and Brownsville, Texas (85 degrees)
• Wednesday: Houston (82 degrees); San Antonio (87 degrees); Columbia, South Carolina (76 degrees); New York City (61 degrees) and Bangor, Maine (47 degrees)

Low temperatures will also be well above average during this time period, and a few record warm lows are possible. This includes Indianapolis, Memphis and Houston on Tuesday, and Charleston, South Carolina, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, lows will be warmer than average for much of the East, with low temperatures in the 50s likely as far north as Maryland.

Temperatures will still be up to 25 degrees above average on Wednesday for much of the South and East. Highs will once again reach the 70s across the South, while 50s and 60s are expected along the East coast as far north as Boston.

Quick Cold Blast

The record warmth, however, will not last long as colder temperatures will return behind this low-pressure system.

Below-average temperatures are expected by Tuesday in the northern Plains, with highs up to 30 degrees colder than average in parts of Montana. By Wednesday, the chilly conditions will spread into the upper Mississippi Valley and parts of the Great Lakes.

Temperatures will return to near or below average for the Midwest and most of the East by Thursday or Friday.

Highs will once again fail to reach the freezing mark of 32 degrees for much of the Midwest and Northeast by late in the week. Lows will also be colder than average, with temperatures tumbling into the single digits and teens in the northern Plains, upper Midwest, Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast.

(FORECAST: Minneapolis | Chicago | Boston | Nashville)

The low-pressure system that'll help to usher in these colder temperatures will also bring windy conditions from the northern Plains to the Northeast. Consequently, it will feel even colder in many areas due to the gusty winds.

This is expected to be a relatively quick shot of colder temperatures, as most areas will see temperatures rebound by the weekend. In fact, above-average conditions are expected to prevail across a large swath of the U.S. for much of February.

(MORE: February Outlook)

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