Weather whiplash: Frosty forecast for the East while the West bakes

Wild temperature swings have been common this spring across the Midwest and Northeast, and the weather forecast for the next week or so shows that trend continuing.

First, on May 11 and 12, the cool weather will stretch from Minnesota to Massachusetts and everywhere in between, according to AccuWeather.

"For those itching to get out in the garden and get plants in the ground across the Midwest and parts of the interior Northeast, waves of chilly air diving southward out of Canada through the middle of this week may put those plans on hold," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said in an e-mail to USA TODAY.

But warmth is on the way: The weather whiplash will occur later this week and into the weekend, forecasters said, as many locations in the East will soon be saying goodbye to cool May days and hello to near-summerlike heat.

While the East shivers for much of the week, a heat wave in the West is forecast to bring well-above average or even record-breaking temperatures, with high temperatures soaring into the 110s in the valleys of Southern California and Arizona.

Frosty, then warm East

Frost and freeze alerts are in effect for more than 1 million people on Tuesday morning, May 12, for parts of the East, the National Weather Service said.

AccuWeather said that by Tuesday morning, the coldest temperatures are expected across the eastern Great Lakes, the interior Northeast and the Catskills to West Virginia.

"Even the near-suburbs of some big cities like Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh will be at risk of a damaging frost, if winds are light enough," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bill Deger said in an online forecast.

The weather service in Pittsburgh, in an online forecast discussion, had some good news for warm weather lovers: "This may very well be the last frost/freeze of the season, with the rest of the Climate Prediction Center's May outlooks favoring warm conditions and with no other frosty mornings in the current forecast."

In fact, according to AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters, much of the second half of the month will feel more like late spring should, if not warmer.

'Dangerous' western heat

A western heat wave will shatter record highs this week and then spread some of its heat into the Plains later this week, according to an online forecast from Weather.com.

Daytime highs between 90 and 100 degrees will be common for many, according to AccuWeather, with some locations even topping out in the "dangerous" 110s. Phoenix and Palm Springs, California, are both forecast to reach into the 110s for the first time this year, AccuWeather said.

The weather service in Phoenix warned that "heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events. Overexposure can cause heat cramps and heat exhaustion to develop and, without intervention, can lead to heat stroke."

Folks are urged to practice heat safety as early-season heat can be especially dangerous, as many are not yet acclimated to temperatures of this magnitude, AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco said in an online forecast.

"Staying hydrated, wearing light-colored clothing, and taking breaks in the shade are some of the ways to stay safe in the heat," Danco said.

By next weekend, as the heat spreads to the central U.S., some 90s are possible in parts of the central and southern Plains, potentially as far north as Nebraska, according to Weather.com meteorologist Rob Shackelford.

"Daily record highs are possible in Omaha, Kansas City and Wichita," he said.

Severe weather forecast

While no major severe weather outbreak is forecast this week, a few feisty storms are possible in the Southeast and Midwest, forecasters said.

Isolated severe storms with locally damaging wind gusts and hail are possible Monday afternoon May 11 from the coastal Carolinas into the Florida Peninsula, and along the central Gulf Coast, the Storm Prediction Center said.

By Tuesday, May 12, isolated severe storms with strong wind gusts and hail will be possible on Tuesday in the Plains and Midwest, the SPC said.

And on Wednesday, May 13, the SPC said "isolated severe storms will be possible on Wednesday across the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians."