Forecasters say people in the eastern U.S. will have to wait a while for continued warming as the West bakes.
“A broad weather pattern across the country will keep most of the heat in the western half of the country until the end of the month,” AccuWeather meteorologist Renee Duff said in an email to USA TODAY.
Overall, she said the first week of April is likely to be cool and wet in the east, while the inland southwest will remain warm and dry.
The cold front is on the way
A powerful cold front will sweep across the eastern half of the United States in mid-March as a powerful storm sweeps through the Great Lakes. Duff said that while there will be a brief spike in temperatures ahead of the front, cold and windy conditions will follow and temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below historical averages.
Wind chill temperatures will be lower, especially in the Great Lakes and Northeast, due to strong winds from the northwest.
Strong winds will sweep from the Rockies and Southwest over the weekend and into the East Coast on Monday, March 16, bringing the risk of power outages.
AccuWeather’s remote team predicts a colder late March and increased energy demand in the East between March 17-20 and March 22-23.
The western United States will see high temperatures next week, while the East will have to wait a while for sustained warmth.
Slow transition to spring
After an unusually warm spell across the eastern United States, it looks like it will be a while before it gets warm again.
“A slow transition to sustained spring warmth is likely from the northern Rockies into the Northeast,” AccuWeather Long Range Specialist Paul Pastelok told USA TODAY.
There will be occasional warm-ups, but they won’t last long before the next wave of cold air arrives, he added.
How hot is it in the West?
AccuWeather said the Southwest, Rockies and High Plains could challenge more than 100 record highs next week, with temperatures more in line with May temperatures.
The NOAA Weather Prediction Center said March temperatures could reach record highs in some areas, especially Phoenix, Las Vegas, Sacramento and San Jose. Parts of the desert Southwest could experience their earliest 100-degree temperatures on record.
The Weather Prediction Center says the duration of such heat waves increases the risk of heat stress when temperatures peak earlier each year.
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covering weather and climate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spring forecast predicts when warm weather will arrive in Eastern U.S.