But also some cold, wet weather in the Eastern US

Starting out the weekend by looking at observed global temperature anomalies. There are definitely some colder than normal regions today, particularly Alaska, eastern parts of the US and Mexico (where a few cold records were set), the Middle East, and eastern China. Large intense warm anomalies however cover several areas, including the western United States, Europe and northwest Africa, much of Australia, and Korea, Japan and eastern Russia.

Not surprisingly, numerous record warm temperatures are occurring within those areas of warmth. Dozens of record high temperatures were set in the western United States, including 103F at Phoenix (prior record 99F in 2023), 96F at Las Vegas (prior record 93F in 2023), 101F at Yuma (prior record 101F in 1936), and 84F at Salt Lake City (prior record 83F in 2023).

Globally, some of the most impressive records continue to be in parts of Asia. As usual Extreme Temperatures Around the World has the downlow.

For today, record heat in the US will shift and expand a bit to the east, with records spreading into the southern Rockies and parts of Texas (below).

This will be after a number of locations this morning across the region set record high minimum temperatures.

Along with the record warmth, dry and windy conditions will raise fire danger concerns in the Southwest US and adjoining Plains regions. Of particular concern will be New Mexico on Sunday where stronger winds and very dry antecedent conditions could support rapid wildfire growth.

For the rest of the country this weekend, a slow moving area of low pressure off the Delmarva will bring cold and wet weather to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today, along with some mixed wintry precipitation.

Several locations are forecast to set record low maximum temperatures from New Jersey to Massachusetts today.

By Sunday, that low pressure system will be slowly moving southeast of Cape Cod, while a new evolving upper level weather system over the north-central US will spread some showers and storms across the upper Midwest and Great Lakes, along with some wintry precipitation from Montana to northern Minnesota.