Updated Jan. 10, 2020 3:09 PM
The calendar may feel like it's prematurely flipped ahead to spring this weekend as temperatures soar to record-challenging heights in the northeastern US. Records dating as far back as the late 1800s could be broken.
Warm weather enthusiasts will be more than happy on the heating cost savings during the heat spell, as warm air will surge northward. The air arrives ahead of a large storm system poised to unleash flooding rainfall in the Midwest, an outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes in the South and snow and destructive ice from the central Plains to the Great Lakes and New England.
The week will end with high temperatures near record levels in the upper 50s and lower 60s F for locations such as Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Toledo and Columbus, Ohio.
The core of the warmth will shift eastward to the upper Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and southeast New England on Saturday.
Temperatures will average 15-30 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across the region, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
Saturday's highs in the 50s and 60s will be a far cry from early January normals in the 30s to lower 40s from Pittsburgh and Syracuse, New York, to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Portland, Maine.
Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., could come close to breaking 130-year-old temperature records this weekend. Saturday's record high in the Steel City stands at 68 from 1890 while Sunday's record in D.C. is 76 from the same year.
Charleston, West Virginia, is expected to crush Saturday's daily record of 71 set just last year, with a forecast high of 76.
"All told, more than 100 locations could have daily temperature records challenged by the unseasonable warm spell," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Rain across the northern tier could put a damper on people's hopes to get out and fully enjoy the warmth. However, south of Interstate 80, no more than a spotty shower or two is expected during the day Saturday.
"Even where the sun will not shine and rain will fall, it will still feel incredibly warm for January," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister said.
Saturday night will be downright balmy along the I-95 corridor with temperatures not straying too far away from their peak levels on Saturday.
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Rain with embedded rumbles of thunder and locally damaging winds will sweep through the Northeast later Saturday night into Sunday as the storm system charges eastward, while an ice storm unfolds across the northern tier of New England.
Fans heading to M&T Bank Stadium for the AFC Divisional Round game between the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night will not have to worry about wearing extra layers for the cold, but may need an umbrella to protect against a stray shower. The steadiest rain should hold off until after the game has ended.
"Ski areas will continue to suffer from the rainy and mild conditions in the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast," Pastelok said.
Winter weather lovers will be disappointed that no Arctic cold or snow will plunge in behind the storm.
"Initially, the air will be rather warm along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coasts on Sunday. Record highs may be challenged once again," Sosnowski said.
"The air that will sweep in and trim back temperatures across the Central and Eastern states will be of Pacific origin and not the Arctic, so any cooling will be limited," Sosnowski added.
Highs will be in the 40s and 50s across the mid-Atlantic and southeastern New England on Monday, which is still 10-15 degrees above average.
As AccuWeather predicted at the beginning of January, only brief intrusions of cold air are expected across the region through the middle of the month.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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