Forecasters say the heat dome that has been scorching the West for weeks will move east. Here’s the weather to expect as the calendar turns to April.
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As the calendar soon turns to April, it looks like we can finally get rid of all talk of the polar vortex until next winter, when milder weather has taken hold across much of the eastern United States and the western heatwave ends with cooler temperatures.
AccuWeather said in an online forecast that a surge of warmth, characterized by temperatures above historical averages, will affect parts of the southeastern and eastern United States starting in April. This pattern could result in several days of temperatures in the 80s, and the risk of thunderstorms and heavy rain increases as the front advances later in the period.
Meanwhile, there is some good news for the drought- and heat-stricken West, with a pattern of cool rain and even snow expected to bring much-needed relief across the region.
Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue called it a “major pattern change” and said the heat dome that has been scorching the West for weeks is moving east and will grow stronger into early April. At the same time, a pressure trough will arrive in the western United States by the middle of this week, bringing cooler weather, he said in an email to USA TODAY.
Warm weather and rain forecast for central and eastern U.S.
Warm air is expected to spread across the central and eastern United States next week, according to AccuWeather.
“A long-term warm weather pattern will take hold across the southeastern United States next week, with the potential for widespread highs in the 80s,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in an online forecast.
Along with the warmth, there will also be storms, Weather.com said in its online forecast. “A change in pattern will bring a return of rain and storms to much of the Middle East next week. This will bring much-needed rain to drought-stricken areas, especially parts of the South Central and Tennessee Valley, while washing away some of the pollen.”
Western heat relief
A long, record-breaking heat wave in the western United States will turn into a series of Pacific storms in April, bringing cooler air, rain and mountain snow, according to AccuWeather. Although temperatures will drop significantly, precipitation totals are expected to remain limited in major drought areas.
According to NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC), generally unstable weather is expected across the West early in the month.
The atmospheric river should cross California and reach Southern California by Tuesday, March 31, but is currently expected to be too weak to cause flooding problems, according to WPC.
Precipitation may be low, but much-needed rain and mountain snow is common across the Intermountain West in multiple rounds throughout the week.
Precipitation will generally be low, with parts of California, including San Francisco, likely receiving only a few tenths of an inch. Snow is expected to fall in the highlands Monday night into Tuesday, and possibly later in the week, but snow amounts will be limited compared to previous winter storms.
However, this pattern could cause strong winds to be a concern from the Intermountain West to the Rocky Mountains.
