Frigid air pours into eastern US with late-week snowstorm
The recent warm spell that recently impacted the eastern half of the country is being brought to an abrupt end as cold air spills in from Canada.
A snowstorm in the northeastern United States is ushering in this new air mass on Thursday. The temperature plunge will cause areas made wet and slushy by the storm to freeze.
“The shot of cold air will be a reminder that winter is far from over,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun.
While the influx of cold air will return temperatures back to seasonable levels across the Midwest, South and Northeast, it will feel much colder following the recent warmth.
“The unusual warmth has been replaced with highs ranging from the single digits and teens in northern New England and the 30s in the mid-Atlantic,” said Rathbun.
Around the Great Lakes lows Thursday night will be in the teens, following highs in the 20s from Thursday.
The air will be cold enough to allow a period of lake-effect flurries and squalls from parts of Michigan to portions of northeastern Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western and central New York state into Thursday night, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
"In addition to the icy spots the recent storm can produce, motorists should be prepared for sudden visibility and road surface conditions on area highways," Sosnowski said.
Where snow falls in the Midwest and Northeast this week, the chill will help to preserve the snow pack for a few days.
Atlanta fell just 2 degrees shy of its record high on Monday, Feb. 6, after topping out at 71. Temperatures plummeted into the low 40s during Thursday morning. The combination of wind and other conditions resulted in AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the upper 20s and lower 30s.
“This cold snap will be short-lived as temperatures climb back above average this weekend,” said Rathbun.
High temperatures are expected to rebound back to early week levels by Saturday across the eastern U.S.
Highs will be in the 60s around Washington, D.C., on Saturday and Sunday.
“Most of, if not all of the snow that falls on the mid-Atlantic could be gone by the start of next week," he added.
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