AND a robust and oppressive winter storm which affected hundreds of thousands of individuals from coast to coast, has led to a dramatic temperature split across the country that’s breaking records.
An area of high pressure has settled in the southeast, which helped develop the storm because it hits the northeast and Latest England after hitting the Plains and Upper Midwest with heavy snows, blizzards and icing.
This area of high pressure also allows warm air to spread across the Southeast and Central Atlantic, resulting in the opportunity of more than 100 record temperatures over the weekend.
More than 80 records are at stake Thursday in an area stretching from the Gulf Coast and Southeast to the Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic.
In actual fact, parts of Florida may break February records which have held for years, with highs off the coast reaching into the 90s over the weekend.
Orlando, Florida has only gone over 90 degrees 3 times in February since 1892:
- February 15, 1935
- February 24, 1962
- February 25, 1962
The forecast predicts high temperatures of 91 degrees on Thursday and nearly 90 degrees over the weekend.
More records are expected on Friday, with most of them susceptible to falling in Sunshine State.
Other records could also be broken in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Alabama.
Within the West, the bitterly cold Arctic air returned with a vengeance.
A powerful cold front has descended on the US from Canada, causing temperatures to plummet across the Northwest, parts of the West Coast and parts of the Rocky Mountains.
Dangerous shivering winds have also been reported and these conditions are expected to proceed until no less than Saturday.
Glasgow, Montana, could feel as little as minus 35 degrees, while Bismarck, North Dakota, could feel minus 33 degrees on Saturday morning.
Los Angeles, which is expecting a robust storm on Thursday that has triggered rare blizzard warnings in the encompassing mountains, is more likely to record highs of as much as 50 degrees on Thursday.