Winter will make its first appearance in the eastern United States later this week, as a storm ushers in the coldest temperatures in six months for tens of millions of people and the first snow for some.
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The nor’easter is expected to upend a period of relative tranquility in the Northeast, becoming the first notable storm since the nor’easter season began in September.
Nearly 200 million people east of the Mississippi will experience their coldest temperatures since spring as a taste of winter plunges toward southern Canada in the storm’s wake.
The storm will develop across the Midwest on Wednesday and slowly strengthen as it moves east. With that, windy and sloppy conditions are expected from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic and coastal portions of the Northeast later in the week.
The high elevations of the interior Northeast will likely see their first snowfall of fall, and the lake-effect snow machine will also turn on for the first time since spring in the Great Lakes.
Not all impacts are determined. The amount of snow and rain that will affect the Northeast and New England remains uncertain, with forecast models still disagreeing on the storm’s intensity and speed.
Wet snow is possible in the interior mountains from the Northeast southward through the central and southern Appalachians, especially Thursday night and Friday.
Most lower elevations, including the Interstate 95 corridor connecting Philadelphia to Boston, will simply experience cold rain. Some snow could mix with rain in the interior northeast valleys.
Snow totals ranging from a light dusting to a few inches could blanket the higher elevations of northern New England and upstate New York. Snow is most likely to stick to the ground at night, when it is coldest.
This most likely outcome could change in two ways, depending on the speed of the storm.
A faster-moving storm would mean less snow sticking since it would spend less time in the cold air. Impacts would also be shorter in duration, and most of the rain and snow would likely dissipate by Saturday morning.
On the other hand, a slower storm along the coast could allow snow to persist into Saturday. This would give it the opportunity to reduce the snow totals a little higher.
Both storm tracks could generate gusty winds and coastal flooding in the Northeast, but will not be as severe or widespread as they were during the September storm. nor Easter.
Whether fast, slow or somewhere in between, the storm will bring a dose of soggy weather from the Midwest to parts of the Northeast as well as a blast of cold air from the Far Eastern Plains to the Atlantic Coast.
Behind the storm, a brief cold plunge is etched in stone to anyone east of the Mississippi River. Many areas will experience their coldest weather since last spring, as temperatures drop 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below average.
Sub-zero temperatures are expected in parts of the Deep South overnight Friday and Saturday.
For some areas of the South, the first frost could arrive as expected, as many areas, including Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama, typically experience it during the first half of November.
Parts of Central Florida, like Orlando, could dip into the 40s for the first time since March.
Cold weather will settle firmly across the Midwest from Minnesota to Ohio, keeping temperatures from rising above 40 degrees starting Thursday and through the weekend.
This cold snap won’t last long.
Above-average temperatures are expected to return next week across much of the eastern half of the country. The mild temperatures could be a taste of what lies ahead in a winter dominated by Super El Niño.
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