Warmer, More Widespread January Thaw Expected Next Week For Central, Eastern States

Brian Donegan
Published: January 14,2017
A January thaw is shaping up next week in the central and eastern states following the icy mess from Winter Storm Jupiter.
Parts of the South and East experienced a brief warm-up this past week prior to the storm, and several record highs were set in those regions. However, next week's thaw looks to be warmer, more widespread and longer lasting, with the entire eastern half of the Lower 48 experiencing temperatures 15 to 30 degrees above average, at times, for multiple days.
(MORE: 10-Day Forecast High/Low Temperatures)
A weather pattern more typical of early spring is expected to set up next week, with the polar jet stream generally diving southward in the West, and correspondingly surging northward in the central or eastern U.S. into eastern Canada.
The latest 6- to 10-day temperature outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) shows a high probability of above-average temperatures from the Plains eastward.
(MORE: When Is the Coldest Time of the Year?)

Forecast Highs Monday-Wednesday

• Monday: Highs 15 to 30 degrees above average will stretch from the Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley. Temperatures should reach the 60s and 70s across the South with highs in the 50s as far north as the southern Great Lakes.
• Tuesday: All areas east of the Mississippi River are expected to be 15 to 30 degrees above average. Highs in the 60s are possible as far north as southern Virginia and southern Ohio.
• Wednesday: The heart of the January warmth will be parked over the Eastern Seaboard. Highs in the 60s are possible as far north as the Mason-Dixon Line, with a few 70s in parts of the Carolinas.

(FORECAST: Philadelphia | Indianapolis | St. Louis)

Forecast Highs Thursday-Saturday

• Thursday: Temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average remain likely over the East, while more warmth over 20 degrees above average builds across the Midwest. Widespread 50s and a few 60s are possible as far north as Interstate 70.
• Friday: Warmer than average temperatures prevail from the Plains to the East coast, with highs in the 60s possible in the Ohio Valley and 50s as far north as Chicago. The mid-Atlantic also remains mild with widespread temperatures in the 50s.
• Saturday: The well-above-average temperatures persist along and east of the Mississippi River. Highs in the 50s remain possible northward to the southern Great Lakes, with 60s in the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley. Parts of the Southeast could see highs in the 70s.

​(FORECAST: New York City | Pittsburgh | Memphis)
The 8- to 14-day temperature outlook from the CPC suggests this thaw will continue into the last full week of January for the same areas of the country.
While this large chunk of the United States enjoys the January thaw, parts of Alaska's interior will be shivering with temperatures plunging into the minus 40s next week. Typically, when Alaska sees such frigid temperatures in the winter, a portion of the Lower 48 states will end up with well-above-average warmth.
(MORE: Alaska to Plunge into Frigid 40s Below Zero)

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