March has kicked off with record highs across much of the South, and that taste of spring warmth will spread to parts of the Midwest, and even the Northeast, through early next week.
In fact, it began before the calendar turned. Phoenix tied or set new daily record highsfour days in a row, all in the 90s. One Deep South Texas reporting station recorded what may be thenation's hottest winter temperature.
(MORE:Record Warmest Winter In Parts Of The West)
This week, we've seen daily record highs tied or set on Tuesday in Austin, Texas (89 degrees), Memphis, Tennessee (81 degrees) and Sarasota, Florida (89 degrees) among other places.
Wednesday saw more records tied or broken in College Station, Texas (86), Tuscaloosa, Alabama (83), Memphis (81) and more across the Southern Plains and Southeast. And Thursday saw more records tied or broken with Gainsville, Florida (87), Vicksburg, Mississippi (85) and Birmingham, Alabama (83).
But we expect this record warmth to surge north into parts of the Midwest and Northeast in two main bursts: through Saturday, then again from Monday through Wednesday.
Through Saturday
We expect dozens of daily record highs and warm lows to be set from the Southeast to the Ohio Valley, southern Great Lakes and parts of the mid-Atlantic states through Saturday. Cincinnati, Atlanta, Tampa and New Orleans are just some of the cities that could set daily records.
On Saturday, 60s could surge into western New York state, with 70s into western Pennsylvania and 80s still from the Carolinas to the Gulf Coast.
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(MAPS:10-Day US Forecast Highs/Lows)
Monday Through Wednesday
Another surge of record warmth is expected the first half of the week ahead. And this one is expected to push into the entire Northeast, including areas stubbornly cold for weeks and still covered in snow fromWinter Storm Hernando.
Monday's record warmth may extend into the upper Midwest as far north as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, with highs in the 60s, perhaps even low 70s.
Tuesday, that record warmth shifts east. Washington and perhaps even Philadelphia could flirt with 80 degrees, and 70s should push into at least parts of the New York City tri-state.
And Wednesday, more records are possible in the East from Florida to Pennsylvania.
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How Long Will This Last?
This being spring, you probably knew this warmth wasn't going to last long.
A pronounced pattern change is expected to pull colder air southward from Canada beginning Tuesday in the Rockies and Plains, then pushing to the rest of the South and East later next week. That could be followed by another cold front during the following weekend.
So, enjoy the spring warmth while you can through this weekend, before this change arrives.
(MORE:March Outlook)
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him onBluesky,X (formerly Twitter)andFacebook.