A Brief Warm Up Is Possible Mid-May Around May 13 to 15 Before the Next Big Cold Front Arrives
UNITED STATES — May is not shaping up to be a notably warm month across most of the country, but a brief period of slightly warmer temperatures is being watched for the May 13 through 15 window before the next significant cold front pushes through. The warm-up is not expected to bring exceptional heat, but it does offer a short reprieve from the below normal temperature pattern dominating much of May.
Where the Brief Warm Up Is Expected
The potential warm-up zone highlighted for May 13 through 15 covers a broad area across the central and eastern United States, stretching from the southern Plains and Gulf Coast northward through the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. Cities across this zone including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Jackson, Tampa, Norfolk, Raleigh, and Pittsburgh sit within the outlined warm-up area.
Height anomaly values across the warm zone show positive departures of 4 dam across much of the central and eastern US, indicating a ridge building temporarily over the region and allowing temperatures to climb slightly above normal during this window.
How Long the Warmth Lasts
The warm-up is described as brief — a short window around May 13 through 15 before the next significant cold front arrives to knock temperatures back down. May overall is not expected to offer much in terms of notable warmth or sustained above normal temperatures across the country.
The Bigger Picture for May
Outside of the brief mid-month warm-up window, the dominant May pattern continues to favor below normal temperatures across a wide portion of the United States. The West Coast, including Seattle, Portland, Boise, and San Francisco, shows negative height anomalies ranging from -2 dam, keeping that region on the cooler side of normal through the month.
For those hoping for a sustained warm-up heading into the heart of May, the data currently does not support that — but the May 13 through 15 window offers at least a brief taste of warmer conditions before the cold pattern reasserts itself.
Stay with CabarrusWeekly.com for continuing updates on the May temperature outlook as this pattern evolves.
