Wild temperature swing in the forecast as May gets underway
Wild temperature swing in the forecast as May gets underway
KYLE REIMAN and BILL HUTCHINSONSun, May 3, 2026 at 8:47 PM UTC
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Wild temperature swing in the forecast as May gets underway
The first Sunday morning of May felt more like winter for some parts of the country, with freeze warnings and frost advisories issued for parts of the Midwest, Appalachia and the Northeast.
Temperatures sank into the 30s and 40s Sunday morning from as far south as Asheville, North Carolina, to as far north as Grayling, Michigan, and Rochester, New York, with some areas plummeting to below freezing as a cold front continues to move south.
Sunday-morning temperatures across the rest of the eastern half of the country were also in the 40s and 50s, which is about 10 to 20 degrees below what is normal for early May.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Following a cold snap over the first weekend in May, warm weather is expected to return to the Northeast to begin the work week. This image shows people visiting the cherry blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City on April 18, 2026.
Afternoon high temperatures on Sunday across the eastern half of the nation are expected to reach the 60s and 70s in most regions. For the East Coast overall, however, temperatures are about 5 to 15 degrees cooler than what’s normal for early May.
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The cold snap is expected to be short-lived, however, as the start of the work week will see temperatures begin to rise. It could feel like summer in most parts of the East Coast by Monday, with the warm weather forecast to spread across the Northeast by Tuesday, rising to 82 degrees in New York.
ABC News - PHOTO: Chilly May morning, May 3, 2026
The Midwest also has begun to warm compared to the last few days, with highs in the 70s and bordering 80 in some areas, which is about 5 to 15 degrees warmer than normal.
However, a rush of cooler air is expected to surge south into the Plains and Midwest, which will not only cool things down but also help drive a new wave of severe weather as air masses clash over the central part of the country.
ABC News - PHOTO: Temperatures across the country for Sunday, May 3, 2026.
By Thursday, cooler air once again will reach the East Coast, putting an end to the brief summer-like weather for the region.
Meanwhile, it's a very toasty end to the weekend across the Northwest, with highs Sunday stretching into the 80s and pushing near 90. Some places, like Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, could challenge daily record highs for the day.
Source: “AOL Money”
