01:03 Big Chill to Start October Meteorologist Heather Tesch takes a look at what we can expect as October approaches.

At a Glance Temperatures could be as warm as 20 degrees above average in the South late this week.

Highs are expected to be in the 80s and 90s.

Record highs are possible, especially during the second half of the week. The first week of fall will feel more like summer in the South and East, and the hot temperatures will likely break record highs in parts of those regions later this week.

Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above average at times from Thursday through Sunday across the Deep South and into the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic. This translates to afternoon temperatures in the 90s from Texas to North Carolina and the 80s or lower 90s in the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic, continuing what has already been one of the hottest Septembers on record for many cities in the region.

More than a dozen daily record highs are possible each day from Thursday through Sunday, especially in the South. A few cities could see several days of record or near-record highs, including Atlanta; Birmingham, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Tallahassee, Florida.

Low temperatures will also be warmer than average, with temperatures only dipping into the 60s and 70s for most locations across the South, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic this weekend. Daily record-warm low temperatures are also expected.

The forecast for the final few days of September and into early October projects that the jet stream will ride to the north over the eastern half of the nation and plunge southward into the West.

There is a 50% or greater chance of above average temperatures in much of the central and eastern United States from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center . The bulk of the warmth is expected to be east of the Mississippi River.

(MORE: NOAA Predicts Warmer Than Average Temperatures for the Entire U.S. Through December)

If you're looking for some relief from the warmer temperatures, head to the West, where temperatures are expected to be below or near average.

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