Grab the jackets again as cold air, freezes return to the Northeast and Upper Midwest
A sharp temperature plunge will send readings from summerlike warmth to early spring chill across the Upper Midwest and Northeast, bringing frost and freeze risks that could threaten early-blooming plants.
Snow was seen falling, and even accumulating, in parts of the Northeast on April 19.
People from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast are in for a shock. In a span of 24-48 hours, temperatures will swing from feeling like June or July to more like March into the new week. While the cold snap will be brief, it could have damaging consequences.
Shorts and short-sleeve shirts will give way to long pants, fleece and medium-weight jackets. Those spending extended time outdoors may even need hats and gloves as temperatures turn sharply downward. Some households may switch their HVAC systems from air conditioning back to heat.
High temperatures have plummeted by 25-50 degrees in one to two days. Readings in the 70s, 80s and even 90s F have been replaced by highs in the 30s, 40s and 50s.
Temperatures in Bradford, Pennsylvania, dropped from a high of 77 degrees on Saturday afternoon to 38 degrees by midday Sunday. By daybreak Monday, the temperature had fallen to 24 degrees, with an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of just 9 F. The morning low of 24 degrees is typical for the middle of March.
Frosty mornings ahead
"The dramatic temperature drop will lead to widespread frost and freeze conditions, especially away from the immediate lakeshores of the Great Lakes and across the interior Northeast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. "We are looking at two consecutive very cold mornings for many areas—Monday and Tuesday."
Freezing conditions early Monday morning extended from the eastern part of the Dakotas and northeast Nebraska to far northwestern Pennsylvania, across much of western, central and northern New York and northwestern New England. In many of these areas, sensitive plants have not yet fully bloomed, so impacts may be limited.
"The biggest concern is from late Monday night to Tuesday morning, as high pressure builds overhead, creating ideal cooling conditions under clear skies and light winds," Anderson said.
"Expect a widespread hard freeze, with much of interior New England, upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia dropping into the 20s," Anderson added. Some of the coldest spots over the interior Northeast will drop into the teens. Many locations will experience multiple hours with temperatures below 32.
Most large metro areas, including Chicago, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will likely be spared damaging freezes due to urban heat island effects. However, temperatures could dip to near freezing in sandy soil areas along the mid-Atlantic coast, such as southern New Jersey and Long Island.
Several spells of unseasonably warm weather in recent weeks have accelerated blooming by up to three weeks, Anderson said. The earlier buds and blossoms emerge in spring, the greater the risk of damage from a freeze.
In this April 14, 2010 photo, blossoms prepare to bloom on a Cortland apple branch at Lookout Farm in Natick, Massachusetts. An upcoming frost could affect fruit trees in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Fruit trees in bloom, along with berry bushes and vines whose buds have lost their winter hardiness, could be damaged. This could reduce yields in summer and fall.
Home gardeners and garden centers may need to protect tender plants from the upcoming frost and freeze.
After the cold snap early this week, temperatures are forecast to rebound across the Midwest and much of the Northeast by midweek. Highs could reach around 70 in Chicago Tuesday and near 80 in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.
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Additional temperature swings are likely late this week and through the end of April into May. Another substantial cold snap may settle into parts of the north-central United States before the end of the month.
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