USA cut in two - Temperature split of almost 50 degrees

In the USA, icy cold winter air meets hot summer air. This results in enormous temperature contrasts.

These will be particularly pronounced at the beginning of next week, when Arizona and California will already be experiencing summer heat. In Indio in the Colorado Desert, for example, temperatures of around 40 degrees are expected.

At the same time, polar air is flowing in from the north, causing temperatures to drop to minus 10 degrees in North Dakota and Minnesota, among other states . At night , it is even minus 20 degrees. In some cities, such as Memphis, the temperature drops by 20 degrees from one day to the next.

At the beginning of next week, severe thunderstorms with strong gusting winds and large hailstones will develop in the transition zone between the two air masses. A blizzard, an intense snowstorm, is also forecast in the cold air. There will be freezing rain in the transition zone.

Such weather contrasts are not unusual in the USA. Since there is no mountain range running from west to east, polar air can advance very far south unhindered. At the same time, North America has large land masses that warm up much faster than water.