'Weather reality check' in store for Northeast after warm spell
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Oct 17, 2021 5:14 AM EDT
Parts of the Northeast are experiencing a weather roller-coaster ride, and dramatic temperatures won't be the only factor to make the weather feel like a wild ride. A slow-moving storm system picked up forward speed, causing a drenching end to the week and weekend for some communities -- and even leaving the potential for snow in a few spots.
"A weather reality check is pushing eastward and sweeping away late-summer conditions into this weekend from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley to the Northeast," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
A southward dip in the jet stream, a strong cold front and tropical moisture joined forces on Friday to ignite downpours and gusty thunderstorms from the middle part of the Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes.
"It appears that the circulation associated with Tropical Rainstorm Pamela was shredded while moving from the mountains of northern Mexico to the plains of Texas during Wednesday night," AccuWeather Meteorologist Randy Adkins said. However, tropical moisture has survived and will be strung out for thousands of miles along the cold front and can continue to lead to areas of very heavy rain into this weekend, Adkins added.
The impacts from the dynamic trio did not stop in the Midwest, as the stormy pattern began to make its way over the Northeastern states to start the weekend.
Eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York state to western West Virginia, central Kentucky and middle Tennessee bore the brunt of the drenching and gusty showers and thunderstorms on Friday night.
Reports of numerous downed trees came in late Friday night from locations across Kentucky, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and southwest New York state.
On Saturday, the wind reports continued across Pennsylvania New York state, Vermont and New Jersey. Some gusts neared 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Storm Prediction Center, and resulted in downed trees and power lines.
Two tornadoes were also confirmed by the NWS on Saturday morning in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
The core of the windswept rain and thunderstorms continued to push eastward across much of New England on Saturday night.
The passage of the cold front with its torrential downpours will act as a flip of a switch from late-August or early-September conditions to early November for a brief time.
Temperatures will take a plunge in the wake of the front. Highs in the mid-80s F on Friday will be swapped with highs in the 60s on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Balmy nights with temperatures mainly in the 60s will be a thing of the past as well.
In New York City, highs will dip from the upper 70s recorded on Friday to the low 60s on Sunday and Monday, according to DeVore.
"Blustery conditions made it look and feel more like November in the Midwest on Saturday and will again for much of the Northeast on Sunday," Adkins said. In the wake of the cold front, wind gusts will frequent 25-35 mph range with some gusts past 40 mph possible, he added.
The combination of wind, clouds and other factors will cause AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to dip into the 30s and 40s over the interior Northeast and the 50s in coastal Northeast on Sunday.
Actual low temperatures in the 40s were recorded over the interior Northeast on Saturday night and can dip into the 30s Sunday night in some cases. Frost may form in the typical colder spots of the interior Northeast during Monday night where the sky clears out and winds diminish.
On Sunday, most of the torrential downpours will have parted the Northeast, but clouds and showers will linger, especially from the central Appalachians to northern New England and neighboring southern Ontario and Quebec. Moisture from the warm waters of the Great Lakes will produce bands of steady lake-effect rain in parts of western and central New York state and northwestern Pennsylvania. The pattern may also trigger a few waterspouts on lakes Erie and Ontario.
A glimpse of winter may follow in some areas.
"As moisture lingers, the air is likely to get cold enough for a little wet snow to fall and accumulate over the ridges and peaks in the Catskills, as well as the higher elevations in general over the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains from Sunday night into early Monday morning," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
While the mere mention of the four-letter word may have some in a panic and others digging their skis out, conditions more typical of September are forecast to return early next week with sunshine helping to turn the weather around once again.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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News / Weather Forecasts
'Weather reality check' in store for Northeast after warm spell
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Oct 17, 2021 5:14 AM EDT
Parts of the Northeast are experiencing a weather roller-coaster ride, and dramatic temperatures won't be the only factor to make the weather feel like a wild ride. A slow-moving storm system picked up forward speed, causing a drenching end to the week and weekend for some communities -- and even leaving the potential for snow in a few spots.
"A weather reality check is pushing eastward and sweeping away late-summer conditions into this weekend from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley to the Northeast," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
A southward dip in the jet stream, a strong cold front and tropical moisture joined forces on Friday to ignite downpours and gusty thunderstorms from the middle part of the Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes.
"It appears that the circulation associated with Tropical Rainstorm Pamela was shredded while moving from the mountains of northern Mexico to the plains of Texas during Wednesday night," AccuWeather Meteorologist Randy Adkins said. However, tropical moisture has survived and will be strung out for thousands of miles along the cold front and can continue to lead to areas of very heavy rain into this weekend, Adkins added.
The impacts from the dynamic trio did not stop in the Midwest, as the stormy pattern began to make its way over the Northeastern states to start the weekend.
Eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York state to western West Virginia, central Kentucky and middle Tennessee bore the brunt of the drenching and gusty showers and thunderstorms on Friday night.
Reports of numerous downed trees came in late Friday night from locations across Kentucky, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and southwest New York state.
On Saturday, the wind reports continued across Pennsylvania New York state, Vermont and New Jersey. Some gusts neared 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Storm Prediction Center, and resulted in downed trees and power lines.
Two tornadoes were also confirmed by the NWS on Saturday morning in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
The core of the windswept rain and thunderstorms continued to push eastward across much of New England on Saturday night.
The passage of the cold front with its torrential downpours will act as a flip of a switch from late-August or early-September conditions to early November for a brief time.
Temperatures will take a plunge in the wake of the front. Highs in the mid-80s F on Friday will be swapped with highs in the 60s on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Balmy nights with temperatures mainly in the 60s will be a thing of the past as well.
In New York City, highs will dip from the upper 70s recorded on Friday to the low 60s on Sunday and Monday, according to DeVore.
"Blustery conditions made it look and feel more like November in the Midwest on Saturday and will again for much of the Northeast on Sunday," Adkins said. In the wake of the cold front, wind gusts will frequent 25-35 mph range with some gusts past 40 mph possible, he added.
The combination of wind, clouds and other factors will cause AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to dip into the 30s and 40s over the interior Northeast and the 50s in coastal Northeast on Sunday.
Actual low temperatures in the 40s were recorded over the interior Northeast on Saturday night and can dip into the 30s Sunday night in some cases. Frost may form in the typical colder spots of the interior Northeast during Monday night where the sky clears out and winds diminish.
On Sunday, most of the torrential downpours will have parted the Northeast, but clouds and showers will linger, especially from the central Appalachians to northern New England and neighboring southern Ontario and Quebec. Moisture from the warm waters of the Great Lakes will produce bands of steady lake-effect rain in parts of western and central New York state and northwestern Pennsylvania. The pattern may also trigger a few waterspouts on lakes Erie and Ontario.
A glimpse of winter may follow in some areas.
"As moisture lingers, the air is likely to get cold enough for a little wet snow to fall and accumulate over the ridges and peaks in the Catskills, as well as the higher elevations in general over the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains from Sunday night into early Monday morning," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
While the mere mention of the four-letter word may have some in a panic and others digging their skis out, conditions more typical of September are forecast to return early next week with sunshine helping to turn the weather around once again.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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