Weather extremes across the nation as record heat continues in the South

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The heat wave squatting over the South has everyone wishing for cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, it’s showing little likelihood of moving on, as much of the South and Deep South, from the Carolinas to Texas, will see temperatures lingering 10 degrees or more above normal for a few weeks longer.

For Vicksburg and the rest of Central Mississippi, that means daytime temps in the mid- to upper-90s through the first weeks of October, and not a drop of rain in sight. Average October temperatures in the region are around 80 degrees.

About 68 percent of the state is seeing abnormally dry conditions, with 13 county-wide burn bans in effect.

Record temperatures were set across the South yesterday in more than a dozen cities. August, Ga., and Montgomery, Ala., both hit highs of 99 degrees. This heat wave has broken dozens more records throughout August and September.

But the South isn’t the only area of the U.S. to feel the extremes of nature’s wrath.

In the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies, the season’s first snowstorm is likely to be a monster—possibly one for the history books. The National Weather Service says a powerful cold front will produce as much as three to four feet or more of wet, heavy snow. and gusty winds in the Northern Rockies this weekend. Some areas have already seen 13 inches of snow on the ground. Temperatures in the region will run 20 to 30 degrees colder than normal.

Not to be outdone, the Midwest will see more rain, causing flooding in many areas. Kansas City may see as much as 5 to 7 inches of rain this weekend.

Meteorologists say it’s all connected due to an “an amplified jet stream pattern,” according to the Weather Channel. Discover Magazine has more colorful words for the pattern: downright loopy.