GEAR JRNL

Spring fever, anyone?

Folks across the central, eastern and southern United States are about to experiencepotentially record warmthover the next week or so as temperatures skyrocket.

"Enjoy the springtime warmth − maybe even 'heat' − with temperatures pushing into the 80s for more than 100 million Americans over the next 7-10 days," said Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue in an email to USA TODAY.

In an online forecast, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Matt Benz said "the pattern from late this week into the weekend will give tens of millions of people in parts of the Midwest and Northeast a serious case of spring fever."

This "false spring" will be short-lived, however, as another unwelcome visit from Old Man Winter − in the form ofthe dreaded polar vortex− is in the offing for later next week. "We will see (hopefully) winter's final Arctic blast move through the Lower 48 [in] middle March," Maue said.

Lightning, tornadoes and wild storms: Incredible weather photos

Is this a 'false spring?'

"This can be classified as a false spring coming up, especially from the central Plains to the East Coast," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok in an email to USA TODAY.

False spring is a period of unseasonably warm weather, which can trick us into thinking winter is over, according toHomes and Gardens.

But after a false spring, the temperatures can go back to seasonal averages, or even below average.

This can be frustrating for anyone, but can also cause problems for gardeners.

How does 'false spring' affect plants?

The warm temperatures can cause plants and flowers to start blooming weeks before they normally do, but the fresh leaves and blossoms can be damaged when temperatures plummet once more.

This happens because plants are adapted to survive freezing temperatures when they happen gradually and the plant has time to prepare, but not to temperatures that plummet in a day or two,according to the Urban Ecology Center.

How warm will it be?

"Temperature departures can range anywhere from 20-30 degrees above average, record levels in some areas, late this week into early next week, especially from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Appalachians," Pastelok said.

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The unseasonably warm temperatures will continue to make headlines through the remainder of the work week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sWeather Prediction Center said in an online forecast. "A broad area of well above-normal warmth is expected from Texas into the Southeast, with afternoon highs reaching the mid-70s to mid-80s."

The warmth will extend northward into the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, where highs in the upper 60s to upper 70s are anticipated, the Weather Prediction Center said.

One notable caveat involves a strong backdoor cold front expected to press southward from the Northeast, the Weather Prediction Center said. "This boundary may create a sharp temperature gradient from northern Virginia to New Jersey, with areas north and east of the front potentially much cooler.

"The broader Northeast is likely to remain on the chilly side, as low-to mid-level flow appears insufficient to fully dislodge the entrenched cool air mass."

Looming Arctic blast, courtesy of the polar vortex

Forecasters said the next major risk of Arctic air will not be until middle of next week.

"A couple of strong storms mid- and late next week can bring Arctic air into the Plains, Midwest and eventually the East," Pastelok said. "Temperatures [could] drop to 10-18 degrees below average."

Maue said that "by the middle of next week, the entire polar vortex shifts southward closer to the Canadian border with the potential for 'lobes' of cold Arctic air — even for mid-March — to sweep through the Lower 48."

When is the first day of spring?

Thefirst day of springdepends on who you ask.

Meteorological spring occurs during the months of March, April and May each year. So, for meteorologists predicting the weather, spring started on March 1, 2026.

But for those marking the change of the seasons by the celestial bodies in the sky, astronomical spring begins a little later. On March 20, 2026, when the sun is directly over the equator, also known as the vernal equinox, astronomical spring begins.

Contributing: Jana Hayes, The Oklahoman

Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, focusing on weather and climate.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'False spring' is in the forecast, but polar vortex could soon return

The allegation sounded like the stuff of spy movies: A Pakistani businessman trying to hire hit men, even handing them $5,000 in cash, to kill a U.S. politician on behalf of Iran 's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

It was true, and potential targets of the 2024 scheme included now-President Donald Trump, then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the man told jurors at his attempted terrorism trial in New York on Wednesday. But he insisted his actions were driven by fear for loved ones in Iran, and he figured he'd be apprehended before anything came of the scheme.

"My family was under threat, and I had to do this," the defendant,Asif Merchant, testified through an Urdu interpreter. "I was not wanting to do this so willingly."

Merchant said he had anticipated getting arrested before anyone was killed, intended to cooperate with the U.S. government and had hoped that would help him get a green card.

U.S. authorities were, indeed, on to him - the supposed hit men he paid were actually undercover FBI agents - and he wasarrested on July 12, 2024, a day before an unrelatedattempt on Trump's lifein Butler, Pennsylvania.  During a search, investigators said they found a handwritten note that contained the codewords for the various aspects of the plot, CBS Newspreviously reported.

Merchant did sit for voluntary FBI interviews, but he ultimately ended up with a trial, not a cooperation deal.

"You traveled to the United States for the purpose of hiring Mafia members to kill a politician, correct?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta asked during her turn questioning Merchant Wednesday in a Brooklyn federal court.

"That's right," Merchant replied, his demeanor as matter-of-fact as his testimony was unusual.

The trial is unfolding amid the less than week-oldIran war, which killed Iranian Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khameneiin a strike that Trump summed up as "I got him before he got me." Jurors are instructed to ignore news pertaining to the case.

The Iranian government has denied plotting to kill Trump or other U.S. officials.

Merchant, 47, had a roughly 20-year banking career in Pakistan before getting involved in an array of businesses: clothing, car sales, banana exports, insulation imports. He openly has two families, one in Pakistan and the other in Iran - where, he said, he was introduced around the end of 2022 to a Revolutionary Guard intelligence operative. They initially spoke about getting involved in a hawala, an informal money transfer system, Merchant said.

Merchant testified that his periodic visits to the U.S. for his garment business piqued the interest of his Revolutionary Guard contact, who trained him on countersurveillance techniques.

The U.S. deems the Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization." Formally called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the force has been prominent in Iran under Khamenei.

Merchant said the handler told him to seek U.S. residents interested in working for Iran. Then came another assignment: Look for a criminal to arrange protests, steal things, do some money laundering, "and maybe have somebody murdered," Merchant recalled.

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"He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me - he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley," he added.

In 2024, multiple sources familiar with the investigationtold CBS NewsMerchant planned to assassinate current and former government officials across the political spectrum.

Merchant allegedly sketched out the plot on a napkin inside his New York hotel room, prosecutors said, and told the individual "that there would be 'security all around' the person" they were planning to kill.

"No other option"

After U.S. immigration agents pulled Merchant aside at the Houston airport in April 2024, searched his possessions and asked about his travels to Iran, he concluded that he was under surveillance. But still he researched Trump rally locations, sketched out a plot for a shooting at a political rally, lined up the supposed hit men and scrambled together $5,000 from a cousin to pay them a "token of appreciation."

He even reported back to his Revolutionary Guard contact, sending observations - fake, Merchant said - tucked into a book that he shipped to Iran through a series of intermediaries.

Merchant said he "had no other option" than to play along because the handler had indicated that he knew who Merchant's Iranian relatives were and where they lived.

In a court filing this week, prosecutors noted that Merchant didn't seek out law enforcement to help with his purported predicament before he was arrested. He testified that he couldn't turn to authorities because his handler had people watching him.

Prosecutors also said that in his FBI interviews, Merchant "neglected to mention any facts that could have supported" an argument that he acted under duress.

Merchant told jurors Wednesday that he didn't think agents would believe his story, because their questions suggested "they think that I'm some type of super-spy."

"And are you a super-spy?" defense lawyer Avraham Moskowitz asked.

"No," Merchant said. "Absolutely not."

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HAVANA (AP) — Swaths of Cuba remained without power on Thursday nearly a day aftera massive blackout hit the western part of the islandin the latest outage blamed on a fragile electric grid and a lack of fuel.

Cuba Blackout

Crews worked overnight to repair a broken boiler at one of Cuba's largest thermoelectric plants, but officials have warned that it could take three to four days for power to be fully restored.

State media reported that nearly 297,000 customers in Havana, or 34%, had power, as well as 37 hospitals and five water supply stations.

Cuba's Electric Union wrote on X that the electrical system is operating "in a limited capacity, prioritizing basic services, primarily health and water supply."

State media reported that two power plants are offline due to a lack of petroleum.

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Cuba has long struggled with an aging electric grid and intermittent fuel supplies, but the crisis has deepened in recent months.

Key oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the United States attacked the South American country in early January. Then later that month, U.S. President Donald Trumpwarned he would impose tariffson any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba.

Last month, Cuba's government implemented austere fuel-saving measures and warned thatjet fuel wouldn't be availableat nine airports until mid-March.

Wednesday's outage is the second one to hit western Cuba in three months.

Theoutage in early Decemberlasted nearly 12 hours. Officials said a fault in a transmission line linking two power plants caused an overload and led to the collapse of the energy system's western sector.

Some of Cuba's thermoelectric plants have been operating for over 30 years and receive little maintenance because of the high cost. U.S. sanctions also have prevented the government from buying new equipment and specialized parts, officials say.