Fall-like air to threaten record lows from early 1900s in parts of southern US

By Kyle Elliott, AccuWeather meteorologist

The storm system that triggered severe thunderstorms in parts of the Carolinas on Tuesday signaled the end to the prolonged stretch of stifling heat and humidity that has been baking the Southeast.

An unusually strong cold front, by late July standards, pushed through much of the Southern states and triggered severe weather on Tuesday. North Carolina was hit the hardest by Tuesday's storms, with nearly two dozen reports of wind damage across the state.

The passage of this front has brought lower temperature and humidity levels to much of the region which will linger through much of this week.

A recently installed weather station run by Virginia Tech Meteorology showed a low temperature of 38 F in Canaan Valley, West Virginia Wednesday morning. The station is situated at an elevation of 3,105 feet. 

High temperatures, with the exception of the Florida Peninsula, should generally be in the 80s through Friday, and comfortable humidity levels should cap AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to around 90 F.

Nighttime low temperatures, especially away from coastal locations, are forecast to trend into the 50s and 60s, which will challenge or even break records.

"Some cities in the Southern states that may challenge record lows include Little Rock, Arkansas, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Houston, San Antonio and Nashville, Tennessee," according to AccuWeather SeniorMeteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

This graphic highlights some of the low temperature records that were set during the morning of Wednesday, July 25, 2019.

"In some cases, it hasn't been this cool at night during this part of the summer in more than 100 years."

As the week progresses, cities including San Antonio, Victoria and Dallas, Texas, will challenge record low temperatures from the early 1900s. The record low in San Antonio for the morning of July 25 is 64 set back in 1911, while in Dallas the record is 65 from 1915.

On Friday morning, the unseasonably cool air will challenge temperature records that date back to 1904 in Victoria (69 F) and San Antonio (67 F).

The fall-like air mass will create a perfect setting for outdoor activities such as picnics, barbecues, hiking, biking and golfing this week.

In addition, cooling demands will decrease and allow residents to save some money on their electric bill. Some residents may even be able to shut off their air conditioning units completely for a few days.

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Southeast Regional Weather Radar

Abundant sunshine will accompany the pleasant air, so residents should make sure to apply and reapply sunscreen if spending prolonged time outdoors in the sun.

A return to the heat and humidity experienced this past week and during much of July so far is forecast to hold off until early next week, with only gradually increasing temperatures expected this weekend.

The weather will not be cool with low humidity everywhere, however.

Steamy air with showers and thunderstorms will extend across a large part of Florida into the end of the week and then expand northward and westward along much of the Gulf coast this weekend.

"As showers and thunderstorms repeat over the Florida Peninsula, the risk of urban and low-lying area flooding will increase substantially," Sosnowski said.

"A few inches of rain may fall on a daily basis over part of the Peninsula."

This same zone, which represents the stalled cool front may also be a region where gradual tropical development may take place.

Download the free AccuWeather app for more details on temperature trends in your community. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.