‘Painfully cold’ Arctic blast across Upper Midwest to trigger heavy lake-effect snow
Another painful blast of Arctic air will follow a midweek East Coast rainstorm and the frigid air will set off a few more feet of lake-effect snow in some towns.
Do you lose most of your body heat through your head? AccuWeather gets the stone-cold facts from the man known as “Professor Popsicle.”
The same storm that will soak areas from the Appalachians to the Atlantic coast will have snappy cold on the back side that will not only have tens of millions reaching for midwinter coats but will also bury some Great Lakes towns knee-deep in the snow all over again, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
Most travel problems in the East into Wednesday evening will be related to heavy rain, strong winds and fog from a developing bomb cyclone. The storm producing the downpours will strengthen enough to pull Arctic air southeastward in a hurry from the Midwest to the Northeast.
As the trouble-causing storm begins to move northward from the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, Arctic air will begin its move into the United States over the northern Plains. On Wednesday, the Arctic air will be blasting across the the Midwest with subzero AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures and stiff northwesterly winds.
"This is true Arctic air, and it will be painful for those spending time outdoors, even though the most recent Arctic blasts are still fresh on people's minds," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
Actual temperatures will drop well below zero degrees Fahrenheit over portions of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest late Wednesday night and Thursday morning. On Thursday, highs will only be in the single digits in Minneapolis and the teens in Chicago with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures below zero.
"In the Upper Midwest, this is about as cold as it can get for this part of December," Rayno said.
On Thursday, highs will be in the 20s from Omaha, Nebraska, to Indianapolis, Detroit and Pittsburgh, with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures mainly in the single digits and teens.
From the Appalachians to the coastal Northeast, the coldest stretch, factoring in the actual temperature and the wind, will be on Thursday and Thursday night.
As the colder air begins to catch up with the back side of the storm in the East, rain may end as a period of accumulating snow as far to the south as parts of the southern Appalachians and the eastern Ohio Valley late Wednesday and Wednesday evening and as far to the east as the central and northern Appalachians on Wednesday night.
For the most part, the change to snow, not counting the lake-effect, may only amount to a little slush on the sides of the roads and on the tops of cars.
"Some areas, especially those higher in elevation, can get enough to make roads slushy, snow-covered and even icy from the central Appalachians on north as temperatures drop quickly Wednesday night," Rayno said, "And, it is possible that steady snow brings a few inches to parts of western, central and northern New York and northern New England."
"As the Arctic air charges into areas of the Appalachians that were soaked by rain during most of the storm, plunging temperatures can freeze wipers to windshields and lead to frozen-closed car doors," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said.
Regardless of the amount of snow that falls on the tail end of the eastern storm, the blast of Arctic air will set off another major lake-effect snow event.
"Up to a few feet of snow will fall on some towns and rural areas, where there are large bands of lake-effect snow that persist for multiple hours," Rayno said.
"Snowfall rates of 2-4 inches per hour can occur in the heaviest bands, which can easily overwhelm road crews, strand vehicles and shut down major highways," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ snowfall for the lake-effect event spanning Wednesday to Friday is 40 inches.
On Wednesday, snow squalls can occur as far south as Kentucky and Tennessee. Conditions during a snow squall can vary tremendously on the highway, ranging from dry, clear, and sunny one minute to heavy snow, poor visibility, and slippery conditions the next.
The Arctic blast and the lake effect produced by it will be brief. As high pressure slides off the Atlantic coast by the end of the week, the cold will ease, and the lake-effect snow will cease.
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