May to Bring Early Summer to the West While the East Freezes

May typically ushers in mild, pleasant weather, but perhaps not this year. Two starkly different, but equally unseasonable temperature trends will split the U.S. this month, potentially worsening drought in the West while the East endures freezing cold. During the first two weeks of May, a dip in the jet stream is set to bring below-average temperatures and stormy conditions to most of the Eastern U.S. from West Texas to Maine, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. At the same time, a large area of high pressure is building over the Western U.S., leading to an increased likelihood of above-average temperatures. Significantly below-average temperatures will linger through the weekend for much of the Eastern and Southern U.S., according to the NWS. In the Southern Plains and Southern Rockies, temperatures could dip about 30 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) below the seasonal average. Texas and parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley could see record-low daily maximum temperatures in the 50s Fahrenheit (roughly 10 to 15 degrees Celsius). The Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest are also in for a weekend of much-below-average temperature