Parts of the West and Rockies will likely see snow while potentially severe thunderstorms will begin to form in Texas Monday, days after the state was hit by a brutal ice storm that froze roads and resulted in the deaths of at least seven people.
A majority of the U.S. is beginning to warm up from the polar vortex that brought freezing, and in some cases, record-breaking temperatures across the country. Now, the East expects to see temperatures above average for early February, will some regions seeing temperatures 20-30 degrees above average, according to the National Weather Service.
"For the majority nation, we're looking at at least seasonable or even warmer than average conditions," AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert told USA TODAY.
Meanwhile, residents in the Buffalo, New York, area were woken up Monday morning by a magnitude 3.8 earthquake.
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Here's what you need to know about the national weather forecast Monday:
Potentially severe thunderstorms forming in Texas; flood warnings in South
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty said a storm will strengthen in Texas late Monday into Tuesday, "bringing the next round of wet weather and severe thunderstorms to the region."
Thunderstorms could begin Tuesday morning in the eastern part of the state, and are expected to turn into severe thunderstorms by Tuesday midday. The following cities and regions are at risk of severe weather through Tuesday night:
Austin
Houston
San Antonio
Tyler
Waco
"In addition to dangerous lightning, the risk of severe thunderstorms will also bring threats of damaging wind gusts of 50-60 miles per hour, AccuWeather said. "Additionally, it's not out of the question that there could be a few isolated tornadoes in the region."
The storm is expected to move northeast Wednesday toward Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. As a result, several areas near rivers in the affected states are on flood warnings throughout the week.
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Thousands remain without power in Texas and Arkansas
As Texas braces for more severe weather, thousands of residents still remain without power, as of Sunday night.
Over 32,000 homes and businesses were still without power in eastern Texas Monday morning after an icy winter storm passed through the area last week, according to USA TODAY Network's power outage database. The majority of outages are in Travis County, where Austin is located.
Outages are also being reported in Arkansas, with over 13,000 homes and businesses without power in the southern part of the state.
Magnitude 3.8 earthquake rattles Buffalo area
A magnitude 3.8 was recorded near Buffalo, New York, Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS said the earthquake was centered near West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo that borders the city to the southeast.
Snow continues over the Rockies
Parts of the West and the Rocky Mountains are on winter weather advisories through Monday morning, as Salt Lake City could see 5 to 10 inches of snow.
Reppert said snow will be spotty over the Rockies and will push towards the northern plains, but snowfall could appear in the Midwest and around the Great Lakes later in the week.
Winter storm tracker
The East continues to warm
Temperatures are on the rise in the East following frigid temperatures last week, as freezing conditions are only expected to be in the New England area. Boston will continue to be in the high 40s Monday.
Here are the projected highs across the eastern U.S., according to the NWS:
New England: 30s and 40s
Mid-Atlantic: 40s and 50s
Central Plains: 50s and 60s
Southeast: 60s
Florida: 70s
National weather radar
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monday weather radar, updates: Texas thunderstorm, Buffalo earthquake
