Temperature Roller Coaster Ride In Store For Northeastern US Into Mid-October
AccuWeather meteorologists say a sharp cooldown will unfold across the northeastern United States this weekend which will make it feel like November rather than early October. The colder air will bring an end to the brief stretch of warmth the region experienced in the wake of a nor’easter, but residents should not pack their warm weather attire away for the season just yet.
“By Friday, a cold front will arrive across portions of the interior Northeast and bring showers and temperatures comparable to late fall,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer.
As the cold front advances eastward Friday, a few rain showers will dampen interior New England, upstate New York and the higher elevations of Pennsylvania.
Across interior locations, high temperatures for the calendar day may actually occur earlier in the day. For example, following an afternoon high of 69 degrees Thursday in Buffalo, New York, temperatures in the middle 50s around daybreak Friday will fall to the upper 40s by late afternoon. A brisk wind will make AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures several degrees lower than what the thermometer reads.
Even at the coast, the warmth of Friday will be on borrowed time. The same cold front will advance eastward Friday night. Any showers are forecast to be light and spotty, but the colder air and brisk wind will affect the entire Northeast.
Some of the coldest locations in the Adirondacks of New York could dip into the 20s F Friday night. However, parts of interior New England and northern New York have already had a freeze this fall. Elsewhere, the breeze should limit the frost potential for any sensitive vegetation or crops that have not yet been harvested.
A brisk start to the weekend is expected Saturday. A spotty shower will be possible very early in the day in eastern Massachusetts, but many locations will have sunshine and some clouds.
Near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, the colder air moving across the relatively warmer lakes could create some lake-effect rain showers. This is the same mechanism that causes lake-effect snow later in the fall and in the winter, but the air mass moving in will not be cold enough for any frozen precipitation. Only locations closest to the lakes will have any light rain Saturday, with the greatest concentration of showers north of the Canadian border.
High pressure will move eastward from the Ohio Valley Saturday night. This will cause the wind to diminish and present a higher risk of a frost or a freeze, which could end the growing season over many interior locations.
“The loss of daylight accelerates through the months of September and October across the Northern Hemisphere, which allows for more cooling at night,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz.
Benz added that this also causes a greater temperature change in the wake of any cold fronts.
At the coast, low temperatures will be in the 40s both Friday night and Saturday night. It is typically not until later in October or even November when the first frost occurs from Boston to Washington, D.C.
Temperatures will slowly begin to moderate Sunday and Monday, according to AccuWeather forecasters. By Tuesday, cities such as Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, could be back into the lower 70s, while Boston and New York City are likely to be in the upper 60s. In all instances, these temperatures would be slightly above normal for this time of year.
Even higher temperatures are likely Wednesday, but a strong cold front will be located to the west. Clouds and rain from that front will cause temperatures to begin to trend downward Thursday. Showers could linger into Friday.
Longer-range forecasts indicate that the air mass next weekend could be colder than the air arriving this weekend. If that is the case, then any lingering moisture next Saturday may allow the first snowflakes of the season to fly in parts of northern New England.
Although normal temperatures rapidly fall this time of year, ups and downs are typical.
“This upcoming week highlights a classic fall pattern as colder air building across Canada starts to spill southward, but warmer air typically returns in between these initial incursions of cold,” said Benz.
AccuWeather’s long-range forecasting team says it is possible that temperatures will trend upward once again in the week before Halloween.
Produced in association with AccuWeather.
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