While snow and ice batter the US Midwest, an unusual ridge of high pressure will bring record high temperatures to the Southeast.
(Bloomberg) — While snow and ice batter the US Midwest, an unusual ridge of high pressure will bring record high temperatures to the Southeast.
Temperatures in Washington are expected to reach 82F (28C) on Thursday, according to AccuWeather Inc. That would break the record for the day of 78F, which dates to 1874. Tampa is forecast to reach the mid-80s, and New Orleans is expected to get to a record high of 83F.
“There’s going to be a zone of warmth,” said Adam Douty, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
The driver is a large and growing high-pressure system across the Southeast, according to Tyler Stanfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s New Orleans office. The pressure is unusually strong for this time of year and allows warm air from higher in the atmosphere to sink closer to the surface, boosting temperatures.
“It can more efficiently warm the surface,” he said. “It makes is possible for temperatures to get hotter than they normally would.”
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