Southeast US braces for lowest temperatures of the season so far
Cold air will hit the Southeast later this week, bringing the season’s lowest temperatures so far and potential risks for property owners, warn AccuWeather meteorologists.
A massive swath of the country is facing RealFeel temperatures below freezing from Dec. 4-5.
One batch of cold air has already settled into the Southeast, but even colder air will dove into a larger part of the region for the latter part of the week. This brought the lowest temperatures of the season so far along with potentially more serious consequences for some property owners, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
The first round of cold air arrived as the week began, with temperatures Monday morning dipping into the mid-40s in Orlando and Tampa, Florida, and the mid-50s in Miami.
Actual temperatures (F) as of 8 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AccuWeather)
It snowed!
On Monday night, the cold air and a weak storm hooked up to produce the first light coating of snow in Charlotte since January 2022, when several inches of snow fell.
Other southern cities that picked up a bit of snow Monday night include Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Winston-Salem and Hickory, North Carolina.
A bit of snow dusted the countryside near Charlotte, North Carolina, early Tuesday morning, Dec. 3, 2024. (Photo Credit: Eric Sosnowski)
Even where it does not snow in the Southeast in the coming days, any morning frost may require that planes be deiced, which can lead to airline delays.
Snow squalls in southern Appalachians
From Kentucky into North Carolina, wintry weather made its appearance on the night of Dec. 2.
The second round of cold air brought temperatures significantly lower than the first batch. The new wave of cold air swept in behind an Arctic front that triggered flurries and heavier snow squalls as far south as parts of the southern Appalachians at midweek.
2nd cold wave to pack more bite than the first in some areas
Temperatures are forecast to dip into the middle to lower 20s as far south and east as the northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, as well as the South Carolina midlands, southeastern Virginia, and much of North Carolina late this week. This magnitude of cold will pale compared to that which froze Texas and the southern Plains in February 2021.
Farther to the east, temperatures are forecast to drop about 10 degrees lower than the start of the week. The cold will be accompanied by a penetrating breeze and bring the risk of bursting pipes in poorly insulated and non-heated areas of homes and businesses. This includes plumbing in open-air garages, crawl spaces, and the area above drop ceilings.
The coldest air is likely to stop short of plunging southward through the Florida Peninsula and into the Keys late this week, but with the first batch of cold air lingering, more chilly nights and mornings are in store.
Rain soaked Northeast Texas, other parts of south-central US
The new Arctic blast from the middle to late part of the week was directed to the east of Texas and Louisiana, where a storm will strengthen and move across the region with clouds and drenching rain.
Moisture gathering over South Texas at the start of the week was drawn northward. Rain and thunderstorms expanded to much of eastern Texas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi into Thursday.
Multiple inches of rain fell in some areas. As of Friday morning, the Calcasieu River near Glenmora, Louisiana is under a flood warning issued by the National Weather Service.
More rain may follow in these areas and others in the southern United States this weekend to next week as the cold air relaxes its grip and balmy breezes from the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic replace biting winds from Canada.
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