Cooler for the South but Hotter for the West for Next Few Days

Entering the back half of July, the weather pattern may look a bit odd on a regional level. While an area most known for its steamy late July weather will be unseasonably cool, a different part of the country will carry the burden of the heat in the coming days. Here is a look at this odd July weather pattern.

Unusual Cooling Trend Moving Across the South

The core of the heat across the U.S. will focus on an unlikely area with the Great Basin and the interior portions of the Northwest experiencing the top temperature readings in the days ahead. Meanwhile, the Deep South will get a break from the searing heat and humidity during a time of the year when the region is typically the steamiest.

High temperature records have been falling all over the place this summer as the impacts of climate change become more pronounced. Nearly every part of the U.S. has been touched by the record-breaking heat at some point already this summer. However, the weather pattern for the next several days is going to look a bit different.

According to this week's temperature outlook by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the extended temperature outlook demonstrates a notable cooldown for the southern U.S.

This includes a large portion of the southern Plains and into the Deep South. Conversely, the outlook is calling for hotter than usual temperatures for the western U.S.

Late July and early August is generally the hottest time period of the year for the South. This is because any cold fronts that push down from Canada typically lose steam by the time they reach the southern tier of the country in the middle of the summer.

At the same time that these cold fronts are struggling to creep to the south, areas of high pressure tend to camp out in this region and keep the heat domes in place.

What has changed this week?