Return of wintry conditions on the horizon across the Midwest
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Jan 12, 2021 3:47 PM EDT
Not only is winter peak flu season, but it brings a host of other cold weather hazards.
So far, this winter season can be described as "lack-luster" for most major Midwestern cities; however, there are signs that a return to normalcy may not be far off. After a quiet start to the week across the region, and one more burst of warmth, colder and snowier conditions will soon be on the horizon.
From Milwaukee to Chicago, Indianapolis to Detroit and areas in between, the story has been the same so far this winter -- mild temperatures and below-average snowfall.
Many Midwestern cities -- especially across the Upper Midwest -- rely on consistently cold and snowy conditions throughout the winter as means to keep the local economy thriving. Activities like snowmobiling, ice fishing and skiing are commonplace in places like Duluth, Minnesota, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan, which typically generate millions of dollars in revenue annually as Midwesterners travel north in search of a winter wonderland.
A continuation of quiet conditions will persist in all of the aforementioned locations into the new workweek as an expansive area of high pressure remains in control of the weather pattern. Aside from a few nuisance snow showers primarily across Michigan Tuesday and Wednesday, largely dry, tranquil and relatively "mild" conditions will continue across the Midwest.
In fact, temperatures are forecast to soar as much as 25 degrees above normal across parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota on Wednesday.
"Record-challenging temperatures are possible for some cities on Wednesday, including Bismarck and Grand Forks, North Dakota" said AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz.
In Grand Forks, Wednesday's high is forecast to challenge the record of 40 from back in 1987, and in Bismarck, a high of 53 would break the daily high temperature record of 52 from 1901.
Looking ahead to the latter half of the week, Old Man Winter could replace this record warmth with a shot of potent cold air.
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A cold front is set to sweep southward from Canada during the day on Thursday. Locations like Bismarck, North Dakota and Aberdeen, South Dakota will be some of the first to feel the effects of this cold.
The cold is forecast to press southeastward through the Midwest Thursday and Thursday night.
After expected high temperatures in the 40s and lower 50s on Wednesday, temperatures are forecast to drop as much as 20 or 25 degrees by Friday night, down into the teens and 20s.
"Temperatures late this week will be noticeably lower than the mercury reading on Wednesday, but even still, temperatures are only forecast to fall to near-normal levels for mid-January," added Benz.
A brisk wind is forecast to accompany the cold, which could bring AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures into the teens and single-digits across the Upper Midwest by Thursday night.
Along with the return of lower temperatures, snowy conditions will also follow suit.
AccuWeather meteorologists are becoming increasingly confident that there will be a swath of accumulating snow to sweep across the Midwest Thursday and Friday.
Tentatively, places like Fargo, North Dakota; Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago; Detroit; and Toledo, Ohio, should be prepared for wintry conditions to make a return late week as this storm sweeps through with blustery and colder conditions and the possibility of a little snow in the air at times.
Accumulating snow from Thursday to Friday is likely to focus from parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota to northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and adjacent parts of northwestern Ontario and southern Manitoba.
The storm will largely sweep into the Northeast by the end of the week, however wintry conditions will continue across the Midwest for some. A brisk northwest wind is expected to continue to sweep across the Midwest this weekend, which will likely result in the lake-effect snow machine ramping up once again. With the relatively mild conditions observed so far this winter, Great Lakes ice coverage is currently sitting at a measly 2.8%, so there is a chance some of the lake-effect snow could pile up this weekend across the usual snow belt locations.
Looking beyond this weekend, it seems as though Old Man Winter will want to hang around for a while across the Midwest. The atmospheric pattern is expected to set up in such a way that would promote cold air intrusions from Canada during the last 10 days of the month of January. Along with the cold weather, accumulating snowfall is possible as Alberta clipper systems could dive through the region.
This will likely result in an increased energy demand across the Midwest as furnaces will likely be getting quite the workout during the latter half of the month.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Return of wintry conditions on the horizon across the Midwest
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Jan 12, 2021 3:47 PM EDT
Not only is winter peak flu season, but it brings a host of other cold weather hazards.
So far, this winter season can be described as "lack-luster" for most major Midwestern cities; however, there are signs that a return to normalcy may not be far off. After a quiet start to the week across the region, and one more burst of warmth, colder and snowier conditions will soon be on the horizon.
From Milwaukee to Chicago, Indianapolis to Detroit and areas in between, the story has been the same so far this winter -- mild temperatures and below-average snowfall.
Many Midwestern cities -- especially across the Upper Midwest -- rely on consistently cold and snowy conditions throughout the winter as means to keep the local economy thriving. Activities like snowmobiling, ice fishing and skiing are commonplace in places like Duluth, Minnesota, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan, which typically generate millions of dollars in revenue annually as Midwesterners travel north in search of a winter wonderland.
A continuation of quiet conditions will persist in all of the aforementioned locations into the new workweek as an expansive area of high pressure remains in control of the weather pattern. Aside from a few nuisance snow showers primarily across Michigan Tuesday and Wednesday, largely dry, tranquil and relatively "mild" conditions will continue across the Midwest.
In fact, temperatures are forecast to soar as much as 25 degrees above normal across parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota on Wednesday.
"Record-challenging temperatures are possible for some cities on Wednesday, including Bismarck and Grand Forks, North Dakota" said AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz.
In Grand Forks, Wednesday's high is forecast to challenge the record of 40 from back in 1987, and in Bismarck, a high of 53 would break the daily high temperature record of 52 from 1901.
Looking ahead to the latter half of the week, Old Man Winter could replace this record warmth with a shot of potent cold air.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
A cold front is set to sweep southward from Canada during the day on Thursday. Locations like Bismarck, North Dakota and Aberdeen, South Dakota will be some of the first to feel the effects of this cold.
The cold is forecast to press southeastward through the Midwest Thursday and Thursday night.
After expected high temperatures in the 40s and lower 50s on Wednesday, temperatures are forecast to drop as much as 20 or 25 degrees by Friday night, down into the teens and 20s.
"Temperatures late this week will be noticeably lower than the mercury reading on Wednesday, but even still, temperatures are only forecast to fall to near-normal levels for mid-January," added Benz.
A brisk wind is forecast to accompany the cold, which could bring AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures into the teens and single-digits across the Upper Midwest by Thursday night.
Along with the return of lower temperatures, snowy conditions will also follow suit.
AccuWeather meteorologists are becoming increasingly confident that there will be a swath of accumulating snow to sweep across the Midwest Thursday and Friday.
Tentatively, places like Fargo, North Dakota; Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago; Detroit; and Toledo, Ohio, should be prepared for wintry conditions to make a return late week as this storm sweeps through with blustery and colder conditions and the possibility of a little snow in the air at times.
Accumulating snow from Thursday to Friday is likely to focus from parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota to northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and adjacent parts of northwestern Ontario and southern Manitoba.
The storm will largely sweep into the Northeast by the end of the week, however wintry conditions will continue across the Midwest for some. A brisk northwest wind is expected to continue to sweep across the Midwest this weekend, which will likely result in the lake-effect snow machine ramping up once again. With the relatively mild conditions observed so far this winter, Great Lakes ice coverage is currently sitting at a measly 2.8%, so there is a chance some of the lake-effect snow could pile up this weekend across the usual snow belt locations.
Related:
Looking beyond this weekend, it seems as though Old Man Winter will want to hang around for a while across the Midwest. The atmospheric pattern is expected to set up in such a way that would promote cold air intrusions from Canada during the last 10 days of the month of January. Along with the cold weather, accumulating snowfall is possible as Alberta clipper systems could dive through the region.
This will likely result in an increased energy demand across the Midwest as furnaces will likely be getting quite the workout during the latter half of the month.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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