Record Heat Is Ahead in the Central and Eastern U.S. After a Brief Taste of Fall

Linda Lam
Published: October 14,2016
This is the time of year when large fluctuations in temperatures become common as the country transitions from summer to winter, and many locations in the eastern and central U.S. will experience large temperature changes in the upcoming week.
A shot of cold air infiltrated portions of the Plains and Midwest the past couple of days, and now it will push into parts of the East through Friday. This blast of chilly conditions will not last long as record warmth will return early next week for areas east of the Rockies.
(MAPS: Current Temperatures)

A Taste of Fall

Into this weekend, cooler conditions will spread to the Northeast. Lows will be up to 15 degrees below average in the Northeast this weekend. High temperatures for the East, however, will only be slightly cooler, with highs near average.
(FORECAST: Pittsburgh | Raleigh | New York | Boston)
Some cities saw their coldest temperatures of the season so far on Thursday morning. This includes Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, which saw temperatures drop to right around freezing. The coldest reading so far this autumn had been 42 degrees in Kansas City, Missouri, but temperatures dipped into the mid-30s Thursday morning.
Widespread frost and some freezing temperatures occurred early Thursday. Lows plunged close to the freezing mark from the northern Plains southward into northern Kansas, northern Missouri, northwestern Illinois and portions of Wisconsin.
(MORE: When Does Your First Freeze Typically Arrive?)

Five Day Forecast

High temperatures in the central and northern Plains, as well as for much of the Midwest, were quite chilly on Thursday. Highs topped out in the 50s as far south as Oklahoma.

Warmer Temperatures Return

The good news for those that aren't quite ready for this cold is that changes are ahead next week. Above-average temperatures will return by early next week, especially across the Plains.
This change will be due to an area of high pressure in the East that'll allow for a south to southwesterly flow to bring warmer temperatures to many of the areas that will have experienced the chilly temperatures this week.

This weekend high temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees, perhaps 25 degrees, above average from the Plains into the Midwest and much of the South. The warmer conditions will make it to the East Coast by Monday.
Low temperatures will also warm considerably. Lows will range from 5 to 20 degrees warmer than average beginning this weekend in the Plains. The warmer mornings will then spread eastward early next week. In fact, lows by early next week will be warmer than high temperatures this week in some spots.
(FORECAST: Minneapolis | St. Louis | Dallas | Nashville)
Chicago is forecast to see lows in the mid-60s early next week, while the high this Thursday reached 57 degrees. Oklahoma City is expected to see lows around 70 degrees Sunday through Tuesday mornings, but on Thursday, temperatures held in the mid-50s.

Above-Average Temperature Forecast

Highs in the 70s and 80s will be common from the central and southern Plains into parts of the Midwest and South. A few 90-degree readings are likely in Texas. Highs around 60 degrees may reach the Canadian border, where highs in mid-October are typically in the 40s to around 50 degrees.
Some locations will see highs 20 to 25 degrees warmer than this week early next week. Kansas City, Missouri, for example, saw a high of 58 degrees Thursday, but temperatures will climb to into the mid-80s Sunday and Monday.

Forecast Highs Compared To Average

By Monday, this warm-up will become more widespread. Highs will climb into the 70s as far north as New York City, with mid-80s returning to Atlanta. Low temperatures will be mild as well, with temperatures not dropping below 60 from the South into the mid-Atlantic.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast)
Record high temperatures and even record warm low temperatures are also possible early next week.
On Sunday a few record high temperatures may be set in Texas, as well as western Kansas and eastern Colorado. This includes Austin, Texas, Amarillo, Texas and Dodge City, Kansas.
Record highs are likely on Monday and Tuesday from Texas into Nebraksa and Illinois as well as eastward into Tennessee and Georgia.

Potential Record Highs

Low temperatures may also set records for being so warm. St. Louis is expected to see lows around 70 degrees Sunday through Tuesday mornings and current record warm temperature records are in the mid-to-upper 60s. Chicago may also set a record warm low on Monday (current record is 63 degrees) and Tuesday (current record is 65 degrees), as lows in the mid-to-upper 60s are expected.
By the end of the week, the record heat will just be a memory as a cold front will allow temperatures to return to closer to average for this time of year.
MORE: Autumn Sunsets