Springlike warmth in East to be erased by return of cold air, snowstorm potential
Unseasonable warmth will linger across the eastern U.S. into the weekend before colder air pushes back in waves, as AccuWeather meteorologists monitor the potential for Atlantic coastal snowstorms next week.
In today’s Forecast Feed, Bernie Rayno takes a look at the snow risk in the Northeast late next week.
A warmup will peak late this week across much of the eastern United States before colder air surges back in. That chill will push from the Plains into the Midwest and Northeast, raising a key question: Will it come with a major snowstorm or two?
Warmth to build, linger into this weekend in East
Through the end of the week, temperatures in much of the East will be 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average, and some locations in the South could challenge daily record highs. The warmth will melt snow and create muddy conditions. At night, colder pockets may still dip below freezing, allowing icy spots to form.
Temperatures surged to record levels across parts of the Plains Monday as the warm air became established. On Tuesday, temperatures climbed well into the 70s and 80s from Texas across the southern Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley.
On Thursday, records dating back decades were again challenged from Texas to the Carolinas.
While temperatures in the Ohio Valley and Northeast may not climb as high as those in the Southern states this week, they will still rise well above average.
High temperatures are forecast to be in the 50s in New York City and Philadelphia and the 60s in Washington, D.C., Friday. Records will also be challenged across the Southeast and as far north as the Ohio Valley.
Friday night's temperatures will feel more like April or early May, thanks to a steady southerly breeze.
Lows well in the 40s and even the 50s are forecast in the Northeast and in the 60s in the Southeast as a storm travels to the north over the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Valley.
With temperatures starting the day unusually high, many locations in the coastal Northeast can expect highs in the 40s, 50s and even 60s Saturday.
Cold air to fight back in waves
"Some colder air will sweep in behind the storm, finishing up in the Northeast this weekend," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "In many cases, the colder air arriving around mid-January across the Central and Eastern states will not be as harsh as the cold experienced in parts of December."
Pastelok explained that the reason for this is that, right now, the air in central and northern Canada is not as cold as it was in December, and some Pacific air will continue to be drawn eastward. By the time the air reaches the central and eastern U.S., it will not be unusually cold.
The upcoming surge of cold air may shock some residents of the southern U.S. right on the heels of record-challenging warmth. For example, in Atlanta, where temperatures will reach the upper 60s to low 70s for multiple days into Saturday, highs Sunday will be at least 20 degrees lower or near 50.
The temperature drop may be less dramatic in the Upper Midwest and New England, where readings did not rise as much this week. In Chicago, temperatures are forecast to dip from the mid-50s Thursday to the mid-40s Friday, the upper 30s Saturday and just below freezing Sunday. In New York City, temperatures may not return to near the historical average high of around 40 until Monday.
Watching for a coastal storm next week
"The upcoming pattern looks like quick waves of cold in the Midwest and Northeast," Pastelok said. "And the magnitude of the cold may be very much dependent on whether we have a storm around the middle of the month, with another to follow." Larger storms tend to pull cold air in their wake.
If the storm tracks up the coast, heavy snow could fall across the Appalachians and the northern and western suburbs of major I-95 corridor cities in the Northeast. If the storm tracks farther east, little to no snow would fall, though some snow could brush parts of the mid-Atlantic coast.
A second storm for next weekend (Jan. 17-18) could take a track more favorable for snow in the I-95 Northeast.
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