This weekend will start a warming trend for much of the nation, after a particularly brutal stretch of below-average temperatures.
"Sunshine, a less-stormy weather pattern and an ease back of Arctic air will contribute to milder to warmer conditions for much of the central and eastern United States in the days ahead," noted AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an online forecast Friday.
Indeed, next week will feel spring-like for many people across the country: "We get a break from polar air over Lower 48 by this weekend into next week as warmer Pacific subtropical air finally displaces the Arctic cold dome," said meteorologist Ryan Maue on X.
But does this mean that winter's worst is over? Maybe not: Maue noted that the dreaded polar vortex lurks over far northern Quebec, just waiting for its opportunity to visit the U.S. again in early March.
Above-average temperatures will dominate much of the U.S. by Sunday, melting snow and bringing reprieve from the dangerous cold for many, Weather.com said.
Overall, warmer days are on the way for much of the central and southern U.S., with milder conditions for the Northeast following extended spells of teeth-chattering chills in February, Sosnowski said.
He said some of the biggest swings in temperature will occur over portions of the High Plains. Valentine, Nebraska, will flip from 33 below zero on Thursday morning to near 60 degrees on Monday afternoon, or a swing of 93 degrees. Temperature swings of 60-75 degrees will be common across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
According to the Weather Channel, some 249 million Americans will see above-average temperatures by next Tuesday. Specifically, temperatures are currently forecast to reach at least the 50s in 42 out of the 48 contiguous states, said meteorologist Ben Noll on X.
"It will surge into the 60s, 70s, and 80s across the South, feeling more like April than February," Noll said.
By early next week most, locations west of the Mississippi River will also warm to much above normal, with temperatures as much as 10 to 25 degrees above average, the Weather Prediction Center said. Temperatures in the Desert Southwest will surpass 90 degrees by Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
The East should also warm to above normal early to mid week, before cooling off again back to normal (or slightly below) late week, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
The warmth and a rainy forecast will also lead to some snowmelt in the northwestern U.S. this weekend and into next week, prompting flood and ice jam fears. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations, according the weather service.
"Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks from ice jam releases. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas, including basements and crawlspaces," the weather service in Missoula, Montana, said.
Runoff will also increase the risk for rock and mudslides below steep terrain.
There are signs that another stretching of the polar vortex or shift in the polar jet stream will take place at the end of February and into the first half of March, AccuWeather said. This will act to push colder air back into portions of the Lower 48 states.
"It looks like there will be more sharp cold snaps in early March - a temperature roller coaster!," said Noll on X.