Weekend Cold Snap Could Bring Frost and Snowflakes to the Northeast
You cannot blame residents of the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. for reporting a severe case of weather whiplash. This part of the nation has experienced a little bit of everything this week, with a taste of winter up next. Read on for all of the details of the topsy-turvy weather forecast.
Gusty Winds and Cooler Temperatures Coming Down From Canada
A fresh batch of cold air originating in Canada is going to dip down into parts of the northern U.S., whipping up winds and ushering in the chance of snow. The greatest chance of light snow will be across the northern Great Lakes and the higher elevations of the interior Northeast. A large swath of the Great Lakes, New England, the northern Appalachians, and the mid-Atlantic will be under the gun for the gusty conditions.
The temperatures have already begun to fall in the Great Lakes and the Northeast, putting those record-challenging 80-degree readings in the rearview mirror. Do not be fooled by a brief uptick in the temperatures in the Northeast on Friday, as forecasters warn that a second wave of chilly air is on the way for the weekend.
As is typical with rapid changes in the temperatures, there is a chance of storms breaking out along the frontal boundary. The mid-Atlantic will get caught in the middle of this action, with locally severe storms on tap for this region on Friday afternoon and evening. The most potent storm cells could produce wind speeds of 55 to 65 mph during the peak of the activity.
The storms will erupt along the advancing cold front, traveling from the Midwest to the east into the St. Lawrence Valley. Winds will be strong enough to bring down the remaining leaves on the trees and send Halloween decorations flying through the air. This is a good time to secure any of those Halloween inflatables.
When combined with the gusty winds, real feel readings will feel more like early winter rather than the middle of fall. Real feel readings will hover in the 20s and 30s overnight in the interior portions of the Northeast. The Interstate 95 corridor is forecast to see real feel readings land in the 30s and low 40s. Daytime highs will struggle to reach the 50s over the northern Appalachians, the Midwest, and the coastal Northeast on Saturday.
Where the Flakes Might Fly
The cold air moving across the warm waters of the Great Lakes will naturally raise the risk of lake-effect rain and wet snow showers. Some of these showers may also trigger lightning and thunder at times. The greatest chance of wet snow will be in areas located away from the shoreline of the Great Lakes.
Light snow showers are also possible in the top elevations of the zone stretching from north-central Pennsylvania and into western, central and northern New York and the northwestern corner of New England. While snow will not be heavy in nature, motorists will want to be prepared for the chance of slushy accumulation on the roads.
Forecasters are also warning that waterspouts could spin up on some portions of the central and eastern Great Lakes. This threat will be the highest during the day on Saturday. The gusty winds will also contribute to rough waters and overwash across much of the Great Lakes.
Most areas will be safe from the chance of frost or freeze conditions overnight Friday thanks to the winds and cloud cover. However, clearing skies overnight Saturday will increase these chances across the Upper Midwest and the interior Northeast by early Sunday. The chance of a frosty start to the day Sunday will dip as far south as the central and southern Appalachians and the Piedmont region.
After the unseasonable warmth earlier this week and the abnormally cold weather over the weekend, temperatures will return to their average baseline for the third week of October by early next week. The biggest weather headline next week could be the potential formation of a tropical storm coming to life off the Atlantic coast. We will continue to monitor this development and update accordingly.
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