The weather maps look like no one told Mother Nature that the start of summer is still six weeks away, as a weather pattern change is ushering in summerlike weather across the U.S. this week.
The “Omega block” that kept the East and West coasts chilly and rainy last week has departed, and the new sheriff in town is a zonal flow pattern. That means the jet stream, which acts as the superhighway for storms, is oriented from west to east and quickly steers storms across the Lower 48.
The central and eastern U.S. will warm up and see more of a typical summer pattern of daily afternoon showers and thunderstorms, which then taper off after sunset.
The FOX Forecast Center said this is being driven by a jet stream that is virtually locked in place, which will steer multiple storms across the central and eastern U.S. for most, if not all, of this week.
Day after day of afternoon showers and storms will result in a multiday flash flooding threat.
“From Houston to Jackson to Atlanta and up toward (Oklahoma City), we have that threat almost each and every day through this workweek,” FOX Weather meteorologist Michael Estime said. “Included in that were heavy showers, and some storms are in the mix.”
Watch for widespread showers and thunderstorms across Oklahoma and West Texas. The FOX Forecast Center expects between 3 and 5 inches of rain. The eastern U.S. will get off easier and see only remnants of each storm. Expect 1 to 2 inches there, except for New England, which will largely escape the rainfall this week.
And just like during summer, temperatures will heat up south of the jet stream. The FOX Forecast Center warned that much of the central U.S. will swelter with early-season highs in the mid- to upper 80s, which is 10 to 20 degrees above average.
“So when you talk about wet weather, plus all of that heat, it is going to be thick. It is going to be muggy. It is going to be sticky,” Estime said. “It’s going to feel like the middle of summer out there, that’s for sure.”
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The FOX Forecast Center warned that severe storms are likely across southern Illinois and central and southern Missouri. Severe storms are also possible from West Texas to the Appalachians.
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Severe storms are likely across southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Strong to severe thunderstorms are also possible across South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. Some severe weather is also possible in parts of the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic.
Day after day of rain will take its toll across parts of Texas and Louisiana, where flash flooding could become likely for low-lying areas. The severe weather threat should take a break.
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Heavy rain will continue to soak portions of Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley.
Computer forecast models are hinting at a slow-moving storm system chugging across the Rockies and northern Plains for the end of the workweek.
The result could be 3 to 5 inches of rain over areas that are not used to seeing this amount of rain over a short period, according to the FOX Forecast Center. This includes Montana, the Dakotas and parts of Wyoming.”
Keep watching FOX Weather on TV or check in with the app and FOXWeather.com for forecast updates and exact timing for the weather in your city.