Record warmth to invade Plains to Northeast this week

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

October 17,2016; 11:50PM,EDT

 

 

A surge of warmth will invade the eastern U.S. this week, putting decades-old temperature records at risk of being broken.
A large section of the nation extending from the southern Plains to Ohio Valley and into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic will experience temperatures 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average each afternoon over the next few days. In some cities, high temperature records will be broken.
"A strong area of high pressure over the Southeast will help funnel very warm air northward for the first half of the week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Andy Mussoline said.

As a result, the air will feel more like the beginning of September rather than mid-October.
Record temperatures were observed Sunday across the High Plains. Several cities, including Amarillo, Texas, Roswell, New Mexico, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Wichita, Kansas, experienced record October warmth.
Additional records will fall Monday across the Mississippi Valley and Plains before the warmth shifts east on Tuesday and Wednesday, focusing on the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Temperatures are expected to rise into the 80s outside of the Appalachians. Even in the Appalachians, temperatures will make it into the 70s.
"Highs in the upper 70s and 80s are more typical during the last weeks of summer across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic," Mussoline said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., could watch records fall as temperatures reach well into the 80s.
Some records in jeopardy have stood since the 1900s.
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In addition to daytime temperatures being well above average, overnight lows each night through the middle of the week will be exceptionally mild as well, dropping into only the 50s and 60s across the Northeast.
Some areas that have already seen their first frost and freeze may not see the temperature drop below 55 through Wednesday.
With several chilly nights occurring this past week, many people have started to dig out the winter jackets and coats. However, those can be put aside for a few days this week and replaced with more summerlike clothing.
With high pressure in control, dry weather with sunshine is expected early this week across the Plains to the Northeast. This will provide beautiful weather to get outside and enjoy the fall foliage or attend local autumn festivals.
This satellite view from Terra/MODIS shows the colorful foliage across New England. The foliage is at or near peak across most of this region.
The upcoming warm stretch could have a negative effect on leaf color, leaving leaf-peepers disappointed. Mild days and cool nights are usually ideal when it comes to the best foliage colors. However, days and nights this week may be too warm and could cause colors to become dull.
The dry weather is bad news for New England where drought continues. Rainfall deficits over the past three months range from 4 to 8 inches in a large section of the region.
The next chance of rain may come during the second half of the week across the Northeast. A storm system may form along a slow-moving cold front across the region and could deliver a round of soaking rain Thursday into Saturday.

As for the warmth, cooler air will follow in behind this system this weekend and will help bring temperatures back to normal or slightly below normal. If enough cold air is pulled southward out of Canada, the northern Great Lakes could get their first snowflakes.