A quick spring warmup is underway across the eastern U.S., with near-record temperatures expected in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley by Saturday ahead of storms that will sweep the Eastern Seaboard on Easter Sunday, ushering in a rapid cooldown.
Millions will reach the mid-80s across parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, before a cold front plunges conditions back into the 40s by Monday.
Warmth from the Gulf is already surging back into the Southeast and will spread north and east into Saturday, after temperatures tumbled into 40s across the Northeast early Thursday.
Over 270 million Americans from southern New England to the Carolinas will be experiencing temperatures 15–25 degrees above average to start the weekend.
The warm temperatures will also fuel severe weather across parts of the Ohio Valley, including southern Kentucky and western New York.
Storms are expected to fire Saturday afternoon and into the evening as the heat builds. Central Ohio, including Columbus, is under a Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.
Farther east, parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Appalachians and eastern Ohio Valley will approach record warmth Saturday.
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Washington, D.C. is expected to reach 87 degrees, surpassing the daily record of 85 degrees set back in 2011.
Huntington, West Virginia is also forecast to approach 90 degrees.
Immediately behind the record warmth, a cold front responsible for severe weather across the Plains and Midwest will reach the East Coast by Easter Sunday.
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According to the FOX Forecast Center, showers are expected to begin Easter Sunday morning from upstate New York to Georgia.
"By late morning into the afternoon, rain will reach major I-95 cities from Raleigh to Boston," the Forecast Center said.
Behind the front, temperatures will drop back into the 40s and 50s across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, slightly cooler than seasonal averages. The cold is expected to persist into the middle of next week.
While not unusually cold, temperatures on Monday will fall closer to seasonal averages, with highs in the 40s and 50s.
This cooler pattern is expected to persist into the middle of next week.
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