Details Behind This Week's Big Spring Warm Up

The month of May so far has been a cool, if not chilly one, with temperatures averaging below average overall. I am very glad to share with you, however, that a big, spring warm up is on the way starting this week. Temperatures will gradually warm up throughout the week, then cool back down heading to the weekend back to around average. Thursday is definitely looking like the hottest day, where there is the potential we hit 90 degrees. It will also be humid on Thursday, so this will be the day that reminds us of summer. Low temperatures will be warmer than they have been as well. Lows will be above average only getting down into the 50's and 60's--That will feel great! I love making the graphic that you see below, outlining the 'Warm Days and Cool Nights':

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The science behind this warmth is all because of a pattern change. We've been in a blocking pattern for the past two to three weeks, specifically in an Omega block. That block will finally break down on Monday, May 15th, allowing for the same upper-low that has been sitting over the Northeast during the first half of May to move out to sea. Meanwhile, a big ridge will begin to build into the East Coast, peaking in intensity on Thursday which correlates with the warmest temperatures.

So how long will it stay warm? There are signals that it will remain on the warm side through the rest of this month. The Climate Prediction Center, which is a division on the National Weather Service, is forecasting a high chance for above average temperatures for our area around this coming weekend (May 20th and 21st).

Let's keep our fingers crossed that we won't have to deal with another one of those pesky upper-lows again and that it will stay warm and springlike for an extended time.

#spring #climate #forecast