Record October Heat Gives Way to Weekend Cold Snap

More than 20 states and 250 million Americans are sweating through near-record mid-October heat this week before a powerful cold front flips the script by the weekend.

Hundreds of daily high-temperature records are expected to be tied or broken through Wednesday, according to FOX Weather. Washington, D.C., is forecast to reach 89 degrees on Oct. 14, threatening a record for the date set in 1975. The capital has not hit 90 this late in the year since 1919.

Then comes the plunge. A strong cold front sweeping south and east will drag temperatures down 30 to 45 degrees in many areas. Morning lows will fall from the 60s and 70s into the 30s and 40s, and forecasters say frost is possible across parts of the Northeast by Sunday morning.

The Northeast and Great Lakes will see highs drop into the 50s and 60s, with some scattered highs in the 40s, according to the Weather Company. In the South, highs will slide from the 80s and 90s into the 60s and 70s.

For the Philadelphia region, the swing means a summer-like Wednesday followed by a sharp cooldown heading into the weekend. Gardeners should protect tender plants, and anyone with weekend outdoor plans should plan for layers rather than shorts.

The chill will not last. Meteorologists describe it as a false fall, with a ridge of high pressure expected to rebuild across the East next week and push temperatures back above average, though probably not to this week’s extremes.