Cold Winds Charge East

By Matt Alto, Meteorologist
February 15, 2013; 5:10 AM
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Play video This video is a weather forecast overview for the Southeast United States.

Winds of change will continue east the next couple of days as a shot of cold air seeps southward out of Canada.

The cold air is following in the wake of an Alberta Clipper, which will track through the Great Lakes Thursday. This clipper will continue to slide slowly towards the north and east across southern Quebec Friday.

Although this system will bring some light snow, the bigger story from this system will be the gusty, cold winds that will accompany the storm's cold front. These winds will signal the arrival of much colder air as it sweeps toward the East Coast this weekend.

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Although this shot of cold air won't be nearly as cold as the one experienced a few weeks back, the winds will result in AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures 15 to 25 degrees lower than the actual air temperature.

The coldest air will be located across the northern Plains, Upper Midwest and the northern and western Great Lakes on Friday. High temperatures will remain in the teens across parts of the eastern Dakotas, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Michigan.

The cold air will remain locked over parts of the northern Plains and Midwest Saturday before moderating a bit Sunday ahead of another storm system set to near the Plains toward the end of the coming weekend.

Meanwhile, the cold air will continue to penetrate southward across much of the South. Temperatures will average between 10-15 degrees below normal. The cold air will also make it into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

According to Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "This could be the most significant cold of the winter so far for the interior South and some of that air will spread across the Florida Peninsula over the weekend."

Sosnowski added, "There has not been arctic air driving this far south this winter. Arctic air masses have been stopping short of the region or passing by to the east too quickly to allow the cold air to settle in."

Many cities across the interior South may see their coldest temperatures of the winter season thus far.

The coldest spots in central Florida Saturday night into Sunday morning will likely dip slightly below freezing for a couple of hours, which could pose some problems to farmers in these areas.

The cold shot of air will be short-lived across the South as warmer air returns Sunday and early next week.

However, the cold air further north across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic will precede a weekend snowstorm which may causes travel troubles in these areas.

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