Winter will ease in much of the U.S. this week as changing patterns bring above-average temperatures to millions of people and require relief from an intrusion of arctic air.
A deadly arctic blast begins to exit on Sunday as temperatures begin to rise across the western United States, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
By Friday, America's massive warming will be complete and more than 277 million people across the country will experience above-average temperatures.
“We've been waiting for it to get warm,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Craig Herrera. “Next week, all of that cold air will move back north, and we'll continue to have this comfortable, steady, warm temperature for the rest of the weekend and at least a week.”
“Warm” may be an overstatement, but it will be a dramatic improvement for the more than 100 million people who started Sunday under wind-chill warnings and for those whose temperatures dipped below freezing.
For those living in the Midwest and northern Plains, temperatures will rise to below freezing by midweek.
It may not seem like a big change, but these areas have seen temperatures in the teens this past week.
Billings, Montana, Minot, North Dakota, and Minneapolis ended the weekend with below freezing temperatures. By Monday, high temperatures in Minneapolis are expected to reach 32 degrees.
For Kansas City, which started the weekend with a low of 3 degrees, it will be quite refreshing with a high of 43 degrees by Wednesday.
Temperatures will gradually warm across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with afternoon highs in the mid-40s to low 50s Wednesday and into Thursday.
Pittsburgh will start Sunday with a high of 26 degrees. The high temperature by Thursday is expected to be 54 degrees.
Meanwhile, spring-like temperatures will be felt across the South.
The warm air could bring record low temperatures to the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
On Sunday, the high temperature in Jacksonville, Florida, only reached 48 degrees. By Friday, the bold city of the South will be back in his early '80s.
Temperatures in Dallas, Houston, and New Orleans will feel warmer than last week.
High temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s by Tuesday afternoon.
