A big pattern change will funnel Arctic air into the US. Here’s where temperatures will drop

By CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert

(CNN) — A big pattern change is on the way for the United States with a blast of Arctic air set to bring a first taste of winter to millions.

It all starts this weekend as a cold front allows December-like air from near the North Pole to start spreading into the northern US. This front will push farther south and east through the weekend, and temperatures could drop 10 to 15 degrees below normal almost everywhere east of the Rockies by Sunday night.

These winter-like conditions — with the coldest temperatures of the season — could make it as far south as the Gulf Coast early next week.

The brief pattern flip could also potentially switch on the lake-effect snow machine for the first time this season and bring some measurable snow downwind of the Great Lakes.

Here’s how this chilly change-up will play out.

A winter-like weekend for some

Parts of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest will be first in line for plummeting temperatures starting Saturday. This temperature drop could also be accompanied by a wintry mix for some.

Minneapolis will likely have a near-normal high temperature in the mid to upper 40s on Friday, but will barely hit the upper 30s by Saturday. A mix of rain and snow is possible throughout Saturday. The city usually has its first measurable snow — defined as at least 0.1 inches — by November 3, but that has not happened yet and it isn’t likely to Saturday.

December-like chill will expand into much more of the country on Sunday.

The day will start with low temperatures in the 20s or lower for much of the central US and stay frigid. Temperatures could end up 15 degrees below average for much of the Plains, Midwest and portions of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

The high temperature in Chicago will likely struggle to reach around 40 degrees Sunday, which is 10 degrees colder than normal. St. Louis will also be 10 degrees colder than it should be with a high in the mid-40s.

Coldest air since spring to start the week

Monday morning will be the coldest since spring for tens of millions of people east of the Rockies. Low temperatures at or below freezing – 32 degrees – are possible as far south as Texas and as far east as the Appalachians.

Buffalo, New York, could drop into the 20s on Monday morning and only reach the upper 30s by the afternoon. A normal early November high for the city is about 50 degrees.

Monday will likely be the coldest day of the wintry blast for much of the eastern two-thirds of the US, but the Southeast will be the epicenter for some of the coldest air relative to normal.

Nashville, Tennessee, will likely have a high in the mid 40s on Monday, after temperatures drop below freezing early in the morning. That high is almost 20 degrees below normal– 63 degrees would be normal on Monday’s date.

Monday will also feature a dramatic temperature drop for Atlanta. Sunday’s high in the city is expected to be around 70 degrees, but temperatures will struggle to reach 50 degrees on Monday. Temperatures could tumble to near-freezing by Tuesday morning, which could end up being Atlanta’s coldest morning since February.

Much of the East will remain quite chilly on Tuesday. It’s likely to be the coldest day of the stretch for Washington, DC, and New York City. High temperatures in both cities could be about 15 degrees below normal, with Washington, DC, in the mid-40s and New York City in the low-40s.

This cold snap won’t stick around long though: Temperatures in much of the central US will quickly rebound to near or even above normal on Tuesday and most of the East will follow suit on Wednesday.

Snow chances still hazy

The blast of Arctic air could set up some places to get their first measurable snow event of the year, but exactly where – and how much – is still coming into focus.

The typical snow belts downwind of the Great Lakes are so far the most likely to achieve this feat later this weekend into next week, with lake-effect possible after the cold front swings over the lakes on Sunday. Some snow could accumulate in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York through Monday night.

There’s also the possibility that the same storminess that’s likely to bring some sloppy weather to Minneapolis at the start of the weekend organizes into a storm that could drop a quick stripe of snow through the Midwest early next week. It’s looking less likely than the chances for lake-effect snow, but still bears watching in the coming days.

The-CNN-Wire
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