May typically ushers in mild, pleasant weather, but perhaps not this year. Two starkly different, but equally unseasonable temperature trends will split the U.S. this month, potentially worsening drought in the West while the East endures freezing cold.

During the first two weeks of May, a dip in the jet stream is set to bring below-average temperatures and stormy conditions to most of the Eastern U.S. from West Texas to Maine, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. At the same time, a large area of high pressure is building over the Western U.S., leading to an increased likelihood of above-average temperatures.

An eastern freeze

Significantly below-average temperatures will linger through the weekend for much of the Eastern and Southern U.S., according to the NWS.…