…Arctic blast brings coldest air since last Winter to much of the
eastern half of the country…
…Heavy Lake effect snow continues into the weekend across the Great
Lakes…
An Arctic airmass has moved southward across the northern Plains/Midwest
into the South/East Coast and is expected to remain in place not only
through the weekend but into next week, bringing the coldest air since
last Winter. Highs this weekend will range from the single digits and
teens in the northern Plains, the 20s/30s in the Midwest, the 30s and 40s
for the Northeast, and the 40s and 50s for the South. Morning lows will
drop into the 20s for the Northeast, teens in the Midwest, and single
digits/below zero for the northern Plains. The worst conditions are
expected Saturday morning in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where
minimum wind chills will fall well below zero. Wind chills across much of
the Dakotas and Minnesota will be below negative 15 with portions of North
Dakota as cold as negative 30-40. This will pose an increased risk of
hypothermia and frostbite on exposed skin. While not quite as dangerous,
wind chills will also still be bitterly cold across the Midwest and the
Northeast Saturday with breezy winds expected. Another concern will be
further south where subfreezing morning lows are forecast this weekend
along the southeastern Atlantic coast and west along inland areas of the
Gulf Coast, with the possibility of a Frost along the Gulf Coast and into
north Florida. Widespread Freeze Warnings are in effect as these
temperatures can kill crops and other sensitive vegetation as well as
damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
In addition to the cold, heavy, prolonged lake effect snow bands will
continue into the weekend for favorable downwind locations across the
Great Lakes, including the UP of Michigan, western Michigan, northeastern
Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvanian, and portions of upstate New York.
Accumulations will measure in feet in the hardest hit areas, with breezy
conditions leading to drifting snow as well. Travel will be difficult to
impossible, especially for major interstates I-90 between Cleveland and
Buffalo and I-81 north of Syracuse. A quick moving upper-level shortwave
will also help to trigger some snow showers along and to the north of a
frontal boundary stretching across the Middle Mississippi Valley Saturday,
the Ohio Valley Saturday night, and into the central Appalachians by
Sunday morning. Any accumulations should be light but the quick moving
showers may cause some travel troubles for those on the road this weekend.
Elsewhere, some showers and thunderstorms will be possible this weekend
for South Florida and southern Texas. Conditions across the western half
of the country should be mostly dry with temperatures generally at or
above average. Forecast highs on Saturday and Sunday range from the 30s
and 40s in the northern/central Rockies and Great Basin, 50s for the
Pacific Northwest and southern Rockies, 60s for California and Texas, and
70s for the Desert Southwest.
Putnam
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php
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