January Thaw Ahead for Parts of South, East

Brian Donegan
Published: January 10,2017
A welcomed January thaw will engulf the recently wintry South and East by the middle of this week, melting away much of the snow and ice that piled up during Winter Storm Helena late last week and into the weekend.
On Sunday, snow was on the ground in a portion of every state except Florida, but any remaining snow in the South and mid-Atlantic will likely be replaced with puddles Wednesday into Thursday.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast High/Low Temperatures)

The warmth started to build in the center of the country Tuesday, from the Great Lakes to the southern Plains, and will now expand eastward Wednesday and Thursday. While the Northeast returns closer to average by Saturday, well-above-average temperatures will linger through the weekend in parts of the South.
(MORE: For the U.S., 2016 Was the Second Warmest Year on Record)
The polar jet stream will retreat northward into Canada, allowing milder air to move in on a south to southwesterly flow. A few record highs will even be challenged in the South and East Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday

• Highs from 15 to 30 degrees above average will stretch from the southern Rockies through the central and southern Plains, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and East Coast.
• Temperatures will be the furthest above average from the central and southern Plains to the mid- and lower-Mississippi Valleys, where some record highs are possible.
• Potential record highs (current record to beat is shown): Wichita Falls, Texas (77 degrees), Amarillo, Texas (73 degrees), Beaumont, Texas (77 degrees), Midland, Texas (77 degrees), and Waco, Texas (77 degrees).

Forecast Highs Compared to Average Wednesday

Thursday

• Highs from 10 to 30 degrees above average will engulf areas from the southern Plains and lower-Mississippi Valley into the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
• The highest-above-average temperatures will be in the Ohio Valley and Northeast, where some record highs will be challenged.
• Potential record highs (current record to beat is shown): Bridgeport, Connecticut (52 degrees), Wilmington, Delaware (58 degrees), Binghamton, New York (49 degrees), and New York City's La Guardia Airport (60 degrees).

Forecast Highs Compared to Average Thursday

By late week and into the weekend, an ice storm may impact areas from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast, as colder temperatures make a comeback on the heels of our January thaw.
After that, it looks like the warmth may make a comeback next week with above-average temperatures encompassing the entire eastern half of the nation. The latest 6- to 10-day outlook from NOAA shows a high probability of above-average temperatures in the East next week.

MORE: Winter Storm Iras