Warmth to Expand from Midwest to Northeast This Week

Posted: November 14, 2023 3:01 pm

Records could fall in the coming days across the Midwest as unseasonable warmth spreads throughout the region. While the warmth will eventually reach the Northeast, a late-week storm setting up across the coast will bring this pleasant weather pattern to a screeching halt. Here is what you need to know about the forecast this week for the eastern half of the nation.

Temperatures Could Climb to Up to 20 Degrees Above Normal in the Midwest

Americans hoping to get a head start on Thanksgiving travel this week will be in luck with mostly dry conditions and warm temperatures for much of the central and eastern U.S. The Midwest will see the mercury challenge long-standing records in many communities. For instance, temperatures will hover in the 60s and 70s for the Plains and through the Midwest for the early part of the week. These readings will trend about 10 to 20 degrees above the historical average from the middle of November.

Cities that could see records fall include Minneapolis. The forecast high in the mid 60s could break the 1953 record of 68 degrees on Thursday. Moving to the east, Milwaukee will also see the chance of a record high falling on Wednesday when the forecast high in the upper 60s could break the 1990 record of 69 degrees.

Winds coming in from the southwest will bring up the warm air from the south. Unfortunately, these winds will also raise the risk of wildfire danger for the drought-stricken region.

Changing wind speeds and directions will also bring about a cooldown by the end of the week. A cold front is expected to arrive on Thursday in the northern Plains and hit the Midwest by Friday, working to trim the temperatures significantly.

Forecast for the Northeast Includes Late-Week Coastal Storm

A southward dip in the jet stream will keep the cool air in place for the Northeast to start the week before the warmer temperatures from the west make their way into the region. You can expect afternoon highs to struggle to get out of the mid 30s in northern New England with highs in the upper 50s throughout much of the mid-Atlantic until the warmer readings arrive.

The mercury will begin an upward trajectory starting on Wednesday for the eastern Great Lakes and into the western slopes of the Appalachians before reaching the Interstate 95 corridor and the rest of the eastern U.S. on Thursday. This warmup will translate to highs in the 60s for New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The readings will likely break through the 60-degree mark in Boston and settle in the 50s throughout coastal New England.

By the end of the week, you can count on temperatures to land at about 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of the year in the Northeast. While this is not likely to break any records like the Midwest may experience, it will still be pleasant for most people.

Storm Along Gulf Coast Expected to Move to the North

At the current time, a storm system loaded with tropical moisture is dumping heavy rain across the Gulf Coast. This weather maker is forecast to make a turn to the north later in the week and travel up the Eastern Seaboard. The long-range forecast is still unclear concerning how much moisture will be left in this system when it arrives to the East Coast.

Forecasters are predicting that the storm will redevelop just off the coast of Florida late Thursday and into Friday. This positioning will help it to pull in additional tropical moisture from the Caribbean Sea. As a cold front moves off the East Coast by the end of the week, its energy will be able to pull up the developing mass of moisture and dump it farther north.

It is still unclear whether this system will take on the appearance of a classic nor’easter or if it will retain some of its tropical characteristics. How quickly the cold front clashes with the developing storm will influence its exact track and how much moisture it still has left when it reaches the East Coast.

There is a good chance that this coastal storm could deliver heavy rain and strong winds in an area stretching from the mid-Atlantic and up through Maine. The timing of the storm would likely land it in this area beginning late Friday and lasting through the weekend.

In areas farther inland, another zone of rain is likely for the interior Northeast as a cold front pushes to the east from the Midwest. The temperatures will fall as the clouds and associated moisture moves across the region.

The late-week and weekend weather pattern will serve as a harbinger of things to come heading into Thanksgiving week. Significantly colder temperatures and the possibility of lake-effect snow is in the long-range forecast for the Great Lakes and the Northeast as the jet stream dips to the south and ushers in cold air from the north.

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