Portions Of Midwest, Northeast In Line For First Snowflakes Of The Season
A large swath of the United States will transition from a fall to winter like pattern in the coming days, and some regions will have the chance to get their first snowflakes of the season, AccuWeather forecasters say.
The first of multiple cold fronts that will have the potential to produce severe weather in the East on Thursday will bring lower temperatures in its wake. Farther to the west and north, a much stronger push of cold air will arrive. Much colder air began to pour into the northern Plains on Wednesday, and a few snowflakes started to fly in portions of North Dakota and northern Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Some of the coldest air so far this season will push across the northern Plains before the end of this week. Although snow on Wednesday night did not accumulate, that may not be the case on Thursday. Northern Minnesota could get 1-3 inches of snow from late Thursday night into Friday, but residents should not need to break out the shovels from storage quite yet, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
“Upcoming snowfall is unlikely to accumulate on roads and sidewalks given how warm the ground still is, with snow largely just sticking to grassy areas and car tops,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.
That said, any heavier burst of snow could briefly cause sidewalks and less-traveled roads to become slushy. This would especially be the case in areas that are typically in the shade during daylight hours.
Any snow accumulation should melt on Friday as temperatures climb above freezing. Northern Minnesota, far northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and even northern Lower Michigan could still have a mix of rain and snow showers on Friday, but the snow should melt on contact.
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will hover at levels more typical of mid-November over much of the region on Friday and may struggle to rise above 40 over parts of the Upper Midwest.
A mix of rain and wet snow showers may continue into Friday night and Saturday in northern portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Another cold front will be diving into the northern portions of the Plains and Great Lakes by Sunday.
“A potent cold front will push a surge of cold air across the Great Lakes region into late this weekend,” said Sadvary.
Unlike the preceding air mass, the air that arrives late this weekend will dive much farther southeastward. By Monday, colder air will be pivoting into the Northeast.
“Early next week, chillier, November-like air will be able to spread across much of the Northeast,” said Sadvary.
The push of the cold air farther to the east will be aided by a system moving through southern Canada.
“Weak, surface low pressure is expected to produce rain and snow showers for much of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast,” explained Sadvary.
By Tuesday, the cold air will reach the I-95 corridor. Forecasters say it is much too early in the season for snow in cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Farther inland, that is not necessarily the case.
“Many across the interior Northeast will receive the first snowflakes of the season, especially for those along the ridges of the Appalachians and the Allegheny Plateau in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the Adirondacks,” said Sadvary. Snow may also coat the ridges in western Maryland and West Virginia.
In most locations, snow will be mixed with rain. Rain may even be favored over snow during the warmest time of the day as temperatures rise into the 40s F on Tuesday. Only the highest elevations in northern New York and Pennsylvania may stay in the middle to upper 30s on Tuesday.
A gradual warming trend may commence over part of the Midwest by Wednesday, but below-normal temperatures and spotty flurries and snow showers are likely to persist over the higher elevations of the interior Northeast.
A slight warmup is possible by the end of next week in the Northeast, but temperatures are still expected to remain below normal, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Produced in association with AccuWeather.
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