Brisk winds to usher in much colder air across the Midwest early this week
By Brian Thompson , AccuWeather meteorologist
October 23, 2017, 6:41:05 AM EDT
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In what has been a very warm first three weeks of October across the Great Lakes and Midwest, a reality check is coming for the last week of the month.
For many areas it will be the chilliest stretch of weather so far this autumn, and a sharp contrast to the recent warmth.
“High temperatures across the Midwest will be as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit lower on Tuesday and Wednesday than what they were over the weekend,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts said.
After high temperatures in the upper 70s in Chicago Friday and Saturday, temperatures will struggle to get much above 50 by Tuesday.
Gusty winds approaching 50 mph at times will keep AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the 30s and 40s during the afternoon hours in many areas, especially on Tuesday.
The wind will be strong enough to snap some tree branches and bring down some of the fall foliage too. Isolated power outages cannot be ruled out with the strongest gusts.
While this kind of weather is far from unusual in late October, it will be a bit of a shock to the system.
“Given the recent heat, these conditions will feel especially brisk, despite being only a few degrees below average for this time of year,” Eherts added.
The colder air moving over the still-warm Great Lakes will lead to widespread lake-effect rain showers downwind of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan on Tuesday. Some of the showers could contain brief heavy downpours.
While a few wet snowflakes cannot be ruled out in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it simply will not be cold enough for snow to mix in for most places around the Great Lakes.
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However, as a new push of cold air charges southward along the Rockies, a swath of accumulating snow is likely along the eastern slopes from Montana through Colorado as the week progresses.
As has been the case with most cool shots so far this fall, this one will be fairly short-lived as well.
Temperatures will start to bounce back on Wednesday across the Plains, although it will be another chilly day over much of the Midwest and Great Lakes.
A storm system that will impact the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday will move eastward and is expected to bring another round of chilly weather to much of the Midwest by the end of the week.
Even with this next shot of colder air, temperatures still will not stray too far from average for this time of year.
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