Will snow accompany cold waves in the north-central US?
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 14, 2020 11:09 AM EDT
Cold air that moved in at midweek may have enough staying power over the northern Plains and Midwest to set the stage for the first snowfall of the season for some areas when the next storm arrives.
The storm pressing across the region at midweek dropped some snow along its path, but the powder was generally confined to the northern Rockies so far. Some wintry weather crept eastward and mixed in with rain before precipitation ended over North Dakota and northern Minnesota into Wednesday night.
A storm that brought heavy snow to the Rockies during early September did not send snow east of the High Plains.
The storm's potent winds cut power to thousands and killed one person in the Northwest Tuesday, and windy conditions lingered into Wednesday night over portions of the Rockies and Plains. Blustery conditions will also accompany the blast of chilly air in the Midwest on Thursday.
After temperatures peaked in the 60s F during the first part of the week, Minneapolis will struggle to make it out of the 40s F through Friday, which is at least 10 degrees well below normal.
"High temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s are typical across a wide swath of the North Central states from the Dakotas east into Michigan," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert.
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In addition, while not quite as strong as Wednesday, windy conditions are likely to continue into Thursday evening, leading to some rather low AccuWeather RealFeel™ Temperatures.
"Ultimately, for those who venture outside across the north-central U.S., this will lead to temperatures feeling 15-20 degrees colder than normal for the middle of October," Gilbert stated.
Chilly but tranquil weather is in store for Friday, although there will still be a bit of a breeze.
Things will change by the start of the weekend as a new storm moves eastward across the northern part of the U.S.
With cold air in place and a storm track farther to the south than its midweek predecessor, snow will be possible in more locations. Since some of the snow is likely to fall where temperatures will be below freezing in northern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, it is not out of the question that a whitening of the ground will occur in those locations.
The storm is forecast to bring several inches to a foot of snow on parts of the mountains in western Montana during Friday night and early Saturday.
Snow may continue for much of the day on Saturday in northern Minnesota, but temperatures should climb above freezing, ending the threat of accumulating snow.
After that, the computer models that meteorologists use to assist them in making forecasts begin to depict different outcomes. Some of the information suggests that a snow event develops in the Rockies on Sunday and spreads a mix of rain and snow into the Dakotas and Minnesota on Monday.
Meanwhile, other data suggests dry but very cold weather in those same locations, with the potential for snow much farther south in cities such as Indianapolis and Cleveland. Also, the next disturbance will be much faster and could deliver snow to those cities as early as Sunday night.
Either way, regardless of snow potential, it appears that fall is becoming firmly entrenched across the northern tier, and winter is not far behind.
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
Will snow accompany cold waves in the north-central US?
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 14, 2020 11:09 AM EDT
Cold air that moved in at midweek may have enough staying power over the northern Plains and Midwest to set the stage for the first snowfall of the season for some areas when the next storm arrives.
The storm pressing across the region at midweek dropped some snow along its path, but the powder was generally confined to the northern Rockies so far. Some wintry weather crept eastward and mixed in with rain before precipitation ended over North Dakota and northern Minnesota into Wednesday night.
A storm that brought heavy snow to the Rockies during early September did not send snow east of the High Plains.
The storm's potent winds cut power to thousands and killed one person in the Northwest Tuesday, and windy conditions lingered into Wednesday night over portions of the Rockies and Plains. Blustery conditions will also accompany the blast of chilly air in the Midwest on Thursday.
After temperatures peaked in the 60s F during the first part of the week, Minneapolis will struggle to make it out of the 40s F through Friday, which is at least 10 degrees well below normal.
"High temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s are typical across a wide swath of the North Central states from the Dakotas east into Michigan," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
In addition, while not quite as strong as Wednesday, windy conditions are likely to continue into Thursday evening, leading to some rather low AccuWeather RealFeel™ Temperatures.
"Ultimately, for those who venture outside across the north-central U.S., this will lead to temperatures feeling 15-20 degrees colder than normal for the middle of October," Gilbert stated.
Chilly but tranquil weather is in store for Friday, although there will still be a bit of a breeze.
Things will change by the start of the weekend as a new storm moves eastward across the northern part of the U.S.
With cold air in place and a storm track farther to the south than its midweek predecessor, snow will be possible in more locations. Since some of the snow is likely to fall where temperatures will be below freezing in northern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, it is not out of the question that a whitening of the ground will occur in those locations.
The storm is forecast to bring several inches to a foot of snow on parts of the mountains in western Montana during Friday night and early Saturday.
Snow may continue for much of the day on Saturday in northern Minnesota, but temperatures should climb above freezing, ending the threat of accumulating snow.
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After that, the computer models that meteorologists use to assist them in making forecasts begin to depict different outcomes. Some of the information suggests that a snow event develops in the Rockies on Sunday and spreads a mix of rain and snow into the Dakotas and Minnesota on Monday.
Meanwhile, other data suggests dry but very cold weather in those same locations, with the potential for snow much farther south in cities such as Indianapolis and Cleveland. Also, the next disturbance will be much faster and could deliver snow to those cities as early as Sunday night.
Either way, regardless of snow potential, it appears that fall is becoming firmly entrenched across the northern tier, and winter is not far behind.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo