Coldest Air Of Season So Far To Bring Some Snow To Northeast
Cold air that was pent up over the Upper Midwest has broken out of its atmospheric cage and is forecast to deliver some cold and snowy conditions to the Northeast this week that will make it feel like December for a brief time, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Late last week, portions of Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan got their first light snowfall of the season, mainly on non-paved surfaces. Since then a reinforcing dose and stronger blast of cold air arrived and spread into areas hundreds of miles farther to the Southeast.
“A pronounced dip in the jet stream will pivot slowly eastward into midweek, and that will allow the cold air to penetrate much farther to the east and south, when compared to this weekend,” AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist Brian Wimer said.
Some snowflakes can be spotted as early as Monday night and Tuesday in the eastern Great Lakes region and the central Appalachians, but it may take until later Tuesday before it snows with enough persistence and intensity to cover the ground in some of these areas.
“People should not expect a lot of snow anywhere from the shores of lakes Erie and Ontario to the mountains in West Virginia, western Maryland, western Pennsylvania and western, central and northern New York state,” Wimer said. “Outside of the higher elevations, temperatures may not even dip below freezing. But, over the higher terrain in these areas, a general coating to an inch or two of snow with locally higher amounts is possible, mainly on non-paved surfaces from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.”
Most roads will remain wet in the region, but some slushy and slippery conditions can develop on bridges, overpasses and elevated surfaces. This will mainly be the case in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York.
“The upcoming accumulating snow and snowflakes over the interior Northeast is a little sooner than average and more typical for the region during the tail end of October, rather than the middle part of the month,” Wimer said.
Winds may not be nearly as strong as those occasionally experienced during a major storm or after the passage of powerful cold fronts that are common in November. However, the winds will be significantly harsher than a balmy summer breeze.
The blustery conditions will have leaves flying off the trees, racing through neighborhoods and marking an end to the peak foliage season in many locations.
This week, New York City and many other locations are likely to experience their lowest temperatures since late April or earlier in the spring. Temperatures are forecast to dip to near 40 degrees in the Big Apple Tuesday morning. The last time it was that cold was on April 28.
As the cold air shifts eastward, yet another step down in temperature is in store by Wednesday morning.
While it will look like an early December morning in parts of the Appalachian Mountains with a little snow in the air, it will at least feel the part in the valleys and along the Interstate 95 corridor Wednesday. RealFeel® Temperatures may be within a few degrees of freezing from Washington, D.C., to Boston and are likely to be no higher than the 20s over the interior Northeast thanks to an active breeze.
From Wednesday afternoon to Friday, the southward dip in the jet stream will ease and retreat northward into Canada. However, while overall temperatures will trend upward, there can still be some nights of freezing temperatures over the interior, and a breeze may add some chill during the day.
Some of the lowest temperatures of the cold outbreak are expected to occur in many areas on Wednesday and Thursday night. A clear sky and a decrease in winds after sunset will allow temperatures to plummet outside of the major East Coast cities. Widespread lows in the 20s to lower 30s are in store for the interior Valleys with near-freezing temperatures over the ridges. Even some of the major metro areas along I-95 could experience frosty conditions.
A major flip in the weather pattern is possible from this weekend to next week following the outbreak of cold air this week, forecasters say.
“Much of the southeastern half of the nation will trend warmer, while colder air dips southward in the West during the fourth week of October,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
The pattern is likely to cause episodes of snow to spread southeastward over the Rockies and may contribute to an uptick in tropical activity over the western and central Atlantic, Pastelok explained.
Produced in association with AccuWeather.
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