Temps to soar in nation’s midsection as meteorological winter begins

(AccuWeather) A big warmup will grip the nation’s midsection just in time for the arrival of meteorological winter, which begins Dec. 1, making for a weather pattern that will be anything but winterlike. Temperatures will soar well above normal, as much as 40 degrees in some areas, as the warmth builds across the central United States, putting some record highs in contention. The warm pattern will continue as Denver remains in an unprecedented snow drought — and AccuWeather forecasters say a localized wind phenomenon could make the temperature rise more extreme in a few spots.

Through Thursday, warmth will expand from the High Plains farther east toward the Mississippi Valley. On Wednesday, much of the nation’s midsection will be at least 5-10 degrees above normal. Parts of the northern High Plains, from Wyoming into the Dakotas, and Montana will be even farther above normal, with much of the region 10-20 degrees above normal on Wednesday. In some places, like Great Falls, temperatures could climb even higher, shattering daily high temperature records. .

From Cheyenne, Wyoming, through Great Falls, high temperatures will be in the 60s around midweek, and could even challenge 70 at times in some spots. Through Thursday, Denver could kick off December by challenging its daily record high temperatures. The record to beat in Denver on Wednesday is 73 and on Thursday it is 74, a mark that was set all the way back in 1885. This comes as Denver is already experiencing a record-long snow drought. The temperature is predicted to soar 75 in Valentine, Nebraska, on Thursday, when the normal high temperature is only 39 F. Not only will the high be about 35 degrees above average, but the temperature is likely to break the old daily record high. The previous record of 74 F was set back in 1998.

While it may be a great few days to get out and enjoy the milder temperatures in much of the Plains, some spots may also have some gusty winds to contend with accompanying the warmth. Breezy conditions can spread all the way across the northern Plains at times as a couple of disturbances slide across the Canadian Prairies to the north. However, the strongest winds will occur near the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Montana to Alberta, where a particular phenomenon called Chinook winds will occur.