Folks sick of the winter cold should see a reprieve from the icy weather the week of Jan. 5, forecasters said.
Temperatures are likely to be much warmer than average across much of the country, the National Weather Service said in an online forecast published Jan. 2.
“Lighter air will move eastward next week as winter winds down,” Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll said on X on Friday, January 2.
The warmth will be a welcome relief from the recent cold pattern that has swept much of the nation.
Model change
The large-scale climate models that guide our weather will be shifting next week, forecasters said. Senior Meteorologist Noah Bergren from FOX35Orlando on post X from January 2nd called for a “BIG pattern flip starting in the middle of next week, lasting around January 11th.”
Parts of the nation that have seen persistent cold for weeks will finally see milder temperatures later next week.
“Beyond the beginning of next week, the dip in the jet stream in the Northeast, which was responsible for the Arctic air waves, will retreat in Canada,” according to an online forecast by Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist.
Much warmer temperatures are forecast to spread across the central and eastern United States next week, forecasters said.
How hot will it get?
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 80-85 degree days January 9-11!”
The weather service said that temperatures will also be quite warm in the Plains, where temperatures of between 15 and 30 degrees above average will be common. Daily records for warmest lows and highs may be set across the Intermountain West and Plains.
The unseasonably warm weather will then gradually expand and spread eastward during the week, bringing temperatures that are some 15 to 25 degrees above average to the Mississippi Valley and eventually 10 degrees above average to the East Coast, after a cooler-than-average start to the week across the Northeast, the weather service said.
By Wednesday, January 7, Atlanta will be in the 70s and highs of 50 degrees will push as far north as Philadelphia, according to Weather.com.
The eastern half of the nation will be warming up next week as milder Pacific air moves across the country.
However, the West and Southwest should remain near or below normal most of the week.
What about the snow?
A parade of clipper storms and frigid air from Canada will continue to cause winter woes for travelers from the Great Lakes region to parts of the Northeast this weekend and for the first day back to work and school for millions on Monday, Sosnowski said.
Despite the warmer temperatures, areas with snow cover soaked by melting during the day can freeze at night, creating hazards for pedestrians and drivers, said AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny.
The trend toward milder temperatures is forecast to be associated with below-average snowfall for much of the United States through mid-January, Noll said on X.
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, focusing on weather and climate issues.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The January thaw is coming to the eastern half of the United States. See when.