Warmer weather to dominate northeastern US this week

The first coastal storm of the year along the East coast brought a chilly rain and the first accumulating snowfall of the season for the high terrain of New England at the beginning of the weekend. But now, forecasters say some milder weather is on the way.

In eastern Vermont, residents woke up on Saturday morning to snow blanketing the ground. Steady snow was also reported in New Hampshire and Maine, along with slippery travel.

Following a moderating trend in temperatures on Sunday, temperatures will continue on an upward swing this week across parts of the Northeast.

"A slight northward bulge in the jet stream this week will allow warmer air across the southern United States to march farther north. Compared to the one-two punch of wet and chilly conditions from earlier this weekend, this upcoming week may feel like late summer rather than autumn for some across the Northeast," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.

A southerly shift in the wind direction early week will begin to send temperatures some 5-15 degrees Fahrenheit or so above average, resulting in temperatures ranging from the middle 50s across New England, to the lower 70s along portions of the Interstate-95 corridor as far north as eastern Pennsylvania.

Through the month of October, average daily high temperatures steadily decrease at a rate of about a degree every three days, with most locales now experiencing an average high in the 60s.

Along with the comfortably mild temperatures across the Northeast Megalopolis, largely dry conditions are anticipated into midweek. However, one would not have to travel too far west into the interior Northeast to face a threat of wet and chillier weather Monday into Tuesday, as a series of weak disturbances will keep wet and cloudy conditions around.

Although seasonably warm temperatures are expected later this week in places like Syracuse and Buffalo, New York, wet and chilly weather is in the forecast to start the week as the unsettled weather regime sits overhead. Although the wet weather may not fare well with outdoor plans, the rain is desperately needed across these areas as drought conditions continue to expand.

Above-average temperatures are likely to continue through the latter half of the week as well across the Northeast as southerly winds continue to pump a warm and relatively humid air mass into the region.

While much of the Interstate-95 corridor can expect higher-than-average temperatures this week, the roller coaster swing in weather conditions may take a downward turn next weekend into the following week as AccuWeather meteorologists continue to track the potential for tropical activity to sweep up the East coast.

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