Fall’s weather roller coaster is here.
While the eastern US deals with temperatures that are below average one day and above average the next, the West is expected to stay toasty with temperatures that are 10 to 20 degrees above average.
The FOX Forecast Center attributes the divide in the weather to a large dip in the jet stream that has helped lead to some of the coolest air in the East since March.
Accompanying the cooler temperatures has been an onslaught of dry air with dew points in the 30s and 40s, making the days feel rather crisp.
“Victoria and Beaumont (in Texas) got into the mid-40s, breaking those records set back in 2001,” FOX Weather meteorologist Steve Bender said.
“They’re not alone, as we had mentioned. You get into the Ohio Valley region all the way down into the Southeast and the Florida Peninsula, and they’re running about 10 to 20 degrees cooler.”
Cooler temperatures in Texas will be replaced by record heat, with cities such as Houston and San Antonio seeing unseasonable warmth with highs in the 90s.
As a weak storm system pushes through the heartland, many communities will see warming temperatures just to see the mercury drop below average again as fall’s next cold front pushes through.
Chicago, for instance, will only see two of the next five days with temperatures near or above average.
New York will be the opposite, with two days below and three days above the typical afternoon high of 64 degrees.
While Florida has moderated some from its chill, Orlando and many other communities across the Sunshine State are expected to stay below their typical high for mid-October.
Highs in Orlando are expected to remain near 80 degrees instead of reaching the typical mid-80 mark.
While the East grapples with weather that has forced many to grab their jackets and coats, the western US is stuck in a summerlike regime with temperatures that are some 10 to 20 degrees above average.
One of the many communities feeling the heat is Phoenix, where temperatures could climb above the century mark during four of the next five days.
The Philadelphia Phillies are heading to Phoenix to face the Arizona Diamondbacks for games 3 and 4 (and Game 5, if necessary) of the National League Championship Series.
The roof at downtown Phoenix’s Chase Field is expected to be closed for Game 3 on Thursday at 2:07 p.m. local time because temperatures are expected to climb above 100 degrees.
So anyone traveling from Philadelphia to the Desert Southwest should take precautions to not fall victim to heat-related illnesses.
A stout ridge of high pressure over the West is not only impacting weather in Arizona, as at least a half-dozen states are expected to see communities reach record highs.
“And the kicker here is that’s kind of a prolonged amount of time, with one exception,” FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
“If you live directly along the Pacific, we get an onshore flow that returns by Friday.”
This means the Central Valley of California and the Desert Southwest are expected to remain hot through the end of the week and into the weekend.
“But if you live in Sacramento or if you live in Modesto, maybe you hop in your car, drive out toward the (San Francisco) Bay Area because when you get into our coastal communities, they will get a return to normal with 60 degrees back in the forecast for places like San Francisco by the time we get to Friday.”
Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose in California and Reno in Nevada are all expected to reach daily record highs this week.
“So,you’re talking about maybe 20 different record breakers,” FOX Weather meteorologist Adam Klotz said.
“Phoenix at 103, San Francisco in the mid-80s. Up and down the entire Pacific Northwest, you’re seeing a whole lot of spots in the mid-80s, which is just unheard of for this time of year.”
And because of the potential of record-breaking heat, the National Weather Service issued Heat Advisories that will remain in effect through Thursday.
The alerts stretch from north of the San Francisco Bay Area to around the King City, California, area.
In Southern California, points east and south of Los Angeles are also under the alerts.
These include cities such as Chino, Hemet, Temecula and El Cajon.