Folks sick of winter’s cold should see a reprieve from the icy weather this week, forecasters predict.
As USA Today reports, temperatures are likely to be much warmer than average across a wide expanse of the country, the National Weather Service said in an online forecast posted Jan. 2. “Milder air will surge east next week as winter takes a breather,” said Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll on X on Friday Jan. 2.
The warmth will be a welcome relief from the recent extreme winter storms that have been hitting much of the nation.
Where is the January Thaw Happening?
Notably warmer weather is likely in the east, particularly the Northeast “where it’s been a popsicle of late,” Bergren said. “In Florida, I could see a few days 80-85 degrees Jan. 9-11!”
The weather service said that temperatures will also be quite warm in the Plains, where temperatures of 15 to 30 degrees above average will be common. Daily records for warm lows and highs could be set across the Intermountain West and Plains.
Unseasonably warm weather will then gradually expand and spread eastward through the week, bringing temperatures that are some 15 to 25 degrees above average to the Mississippi Valley and eventually 10 degrees above average for the East Coast, after a colder than average start to the week across the Northeast, the weather service said.
By Wednesday Jan. 7, Atlanta will be in the 70s and 50-degree highs will push as far north as Philadelphia, according to Weather.com.
However, the West and Southwest should remain near or below normal temperature-wise much of the week.
Where is Winter Holding On?
A parade of clipper storms and frigid air from Canada will continue to cause wintry woes for travelers from the Great Lakes region to parts of the Northeast through this weekend and for the first day back to work and school for millions on Monday, Sosnowski said.
In spite of the warmer temperatures, areas with snow cover that become wet from melting during the day may freeze at night, posing hazards for pedestrians and motorists, AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said.
The trend toward milder temperatures is forecast to be associated with below-average snowfall for much of the United States into mid-January, Noll said on X.
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