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As the West heats up, people in the eastern United States will have to wait a while longer for sustained warming, forecasters said.
AccuWeather meteorologist Renee Duff said in an email to USA TODAY, “A widespread weather pattern across the country will keep most of the heat locked in for the western half of the country until later this month.”
Overall, he said, the pattern through the first week of April is likely to remain cool and wet in the east, while warmer and drier conditions remain in the inland southwest.
A cold front is underway
A powerful cold front will move through the eastern half of the United States in mid-March as powerful storms roar across the Great Lakes. Duff said there will be a brief period of warming ahead of this front, but it will remain cold and stormy, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees cooler than historical averages.
Strong winds from the northwest will result in lower windchill temperatures, especially across the Great Lakes and the Northeast.
Power outages are at risk as strong winds move through the Rocky Mountains and Southwest over the weekend and reach the East Coast by Monday, March 16th.
AccuWeather’s long-range team predicts that March 17-20 and March 22-23 will be cold for late March in the East, leading to increased energy demand.
Slow transition to spring
Unusually warm weather has spread across the eastern United States, but it will likely be a while before it warms up again.
“The northern Rocky Mountains and Northeast could experience a slower transition to sustained spring warmth,” AccuWeather long-range expert Paul Pastelok told USA TODAY.
He added that although there will be occasional warm-ups, they won’t last long until the next wave of cold air arrives.
How hot is it in the west?
AccuWeather says next week could see May-like temperatures across the Southwest, Rocky Mountains and Highlands, with the potential for more than 100 record highs.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center said March temperatures could reach record highs in some places, particularly Phoenix, Las Vegas, Sacramento and San Jose. Parts of the desert southwest could experience the earliest 100-degree temperatures on record.
The early year and long-lasting nature of this heat wave increases the risk of heat stress when temperatures peak, the Weather Prediction Center said.
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, focusing on weather and climate.
