What's with this weather? Hot and cold splits the nation.
While the eastern United States will keep facing a raw, damp weather pattern on the weekend of April 10, much of the West is seeing record-breaking warmth with temperatures in some areas over 100 degrees.
What's bringing this split pattern? And how long will it last?
"In general, this pattern of cold East and warm West will continue for a week and half or so," AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines told Paste BN on April 11.
Record warmth in the West
Temperatures will soar over the southwestern United States on the weekend of April 10 with some of the highest temperatures of the year so far for many areas, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The string of hot, dry days will also boost the spring wildfire risk in the region.
Phoenix set records as it soared past 100 degrees April 10 and is expected to again April 12, before "cooling off" into the 90s by April 13.
"The core of the heat will begin to shift farther to the east over the Southwest this weekend," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
"As this occurs, temperatures should intensify in the California deserts first, followed by the Nevada and Arizona deserts as the weekend progresses. Cities such as Denver will join in on the heat surge and may challenge record highs," he said.
Denver should reach 86 degrees April 12 the National Weather Service said, which would break the record of 85 degrees set two years ago.
Blame the jet stream
As usual, the cause of the split weather pattern is the position of the jet stream, the ribbon of fast-moving air far above our heads that guides weather around and separates warm from cold air, according to Kines.
"The jet stream plays a very important role in our weather," Kines said. While it's helping to funnel record warmth across the West this weekend, it's forcing cold air over much of the East at the same time.
Specifically, it's formed a ridge of high pressure over the western United States and a trough of low pressure over the eastern United States, large-scale systems that affect our weather down here at the surface.
When will the eastern US warm up?
Warm-weather-loving folks in the East will have to pack their patience for a while longer, meteorologists said. "Spring has been put on hold," Kines said.
Overall, though a brief warmup is likely Monday, it will remain below normal across the eastern United States for much of the upcoming week, Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Frank Pereira told Paste BN April 11.
Yet another cold rain is likely by the end of the week, he added, with snow even possible at higher elevations of the Northeast.
Finally, some extended warmth will be possible in the eastern United States by April 22 and 23, Kines said, with a pattern shift that will bring warmer weather to the eastern United States while the western United States will cool down.
For folks facing the cool weather, he said "there is light at the end of tunnel, hang in there, the pattern will break. "