Temperatures Heading Upward Starting This Weekend for Much of the U.S.

The weather is about to do a complete 180 in the days ahead as a drastic warmup is in the cards. Temperatures could rise as much as 90 degrees from the readings during the Arctic air invasion as the warmer air settles in across the central and eastern U.S. Here is a look at when you can expect the warmth to arrive.

Mercury on the Upswing for Central and Eastern U.S.

The Arctic air that has been the story for much of the week across the middle and eastern portions of the country is finally easing. While there will still likely be periods of cold weather heading into March, the next few days are going to feel like night and day when compared to the frigid temperatures of the last week.

It has been an exceptionally cold and snowy February for most of the central, southern, and eastern U.S. That trend is about to change as March inches closer, starting with a dramatic warmup this weekend and into next week.

Helping to push the temperatures upwards will be the arrival of more sunshine. The sun's rays naturally end up providing more heat by the end of February. Lighter winds when compared to the gusty conditions lately will also serve to provide milder weather.

How warm will it get? After seeing a high in the mid 20s on Thursday, Chicago will be in the upper 30s by the end of the weekend. The beginning of the new week will usher in highs in the mid 40s for the Windy City. To put this into context, the average high for late February in the metro area is in the upper 30s.

The warmup will take a bit longer to arrive in New York City. Temperatures are expected to plunge to their lowest levels on Saturday morning when the mercury dips into the low 20. Readings will be near 50 degrees on Tuesday in the Big Apple. The historical average high for New York City in late February hovers in the mid 40s.

The change will be even more noticeable in Oklahoma City. The temperatures fell to nearly zero degrees on Wednesday morning in the capital city. You can expect a high to soar to near 70 degrees by the middle of the week.

The temperature change will be the most stark across the High Plains, an area that bore the brunt of last week's bitterly cold weather pattern. For instance, the town of Valentine, Nebraska will swing from a low of 33 degrees below zero to readings that come close to breaking 60 degrees on Monday. This is a change of about 93 degrees. Widespread swings of 60 to 75 degrees will be the norm for a large part of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

For instance, after dealing with temperatures well below freezing that forced the closure of schools last week in Kansas City, the metro area will rebound into the low 50s by Sunday. It will feel downright toasty in Kansas City on Monday and Tuesday with highs that reach the low 60s. You can expect dry conditions with a mix of sun and clouds during this time period.

The warmer temperatures will not be the only change in the weather. Forecasters are also predicting that the active weather pattern as of late will break up, resulting in calmer conditions. Although there will still be the threat of sporadic storms, it will not be the constant parade that the month of February brought.