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Finally, there's warm weather ahead for much of the U.S. But more cold first
Girls walk through the Capitol Hill neighborhood dragging sleds on Friday as school was cancelled due to snow in Washington, D.C.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
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Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Girls walk through the Capitol Hill neighborhood dragging sleds on Friday as school was cancelled due to snow in Washington, D.C.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
After weeks of bitter cold and heavy snow, it may finally get warmer across the eastern half of the U.S., from Kansas to Connecticut, starting next week.
The latest burst of arctic air from Canada will mostly be in the East Coast by Monday. Without another immediate cold front from Canada, temperatures will likely stay above freezing for several days, while also bringing some intense rain, forecasters say.
In Atlanta, the high is expected to near 68 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday. In Louisville, temperatures are forecast to climb to 58 degrees the same day. Further north, Washington, D.C., is predicted to peak at 57 degrees on Saturday.
Until then, extreme cold weather is forecast to dominate the eastern two-thirds of the country this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. It won’t be as chilly as last week but still expansive, reaching as far south as Missouri on Saturday.
The prolonged cold has led to a series of other concerns.
In Cleveland, there was a scramble to keep warm 250 chronically unhoused people, Ideastream Public Media reported on Friday. In Rochester, N.Y., a commercial jet slid off a taxiway after landing due to snowy conditions on Thursday, according to WXXI News. And in Tennessee, the state health department confirmed at least 17 deaths related to the winter storm earlier this week, The Tennessean reported.
Snow and strong winds are still a threat along the East, especially in West Virginia
The cold front is forecast to bring light to moderate snowfall Saturday across multiple states, from West Virginia to Pennsylvania.
In upstate New York, cities including Rochester, Syracuse and Oswego are expected to accumulate 2 to 6 inches of snow. A winter weather advisory is in effect in those areas until Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, wind chills are the main concern in parts of the eastern Catskills in New York as well as the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, with the coldest temperatures to occur Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
In western Pennsylvania, a combination of snow showers and gusty winds are forecast to produce dangerous driving conditions throughout Saturday in Cambria, Somerset and Warren counties.
Blizzard-like conditions are expected in eastern pockets of West Virginia and the westernmost portion of Maryland, Garrett County. The region is expected to only accumulate 1 to 3 inches of snow on Saturday, but wind gusts will be as high as 45 mph. Visibility in those areas may be limited to a quarter-mile, the NWS warned. Wind chills are also forecast to get dangerously cold, enough for frostbite to develop on exposed skin within 30 minutes.
Wind chill advisory issued in states across the Central Time zone
Bitterly low temperatures will consume states in the Midwest this weekend, including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Wind chills will get as low as minus 30 degrees in central Iowa. The state’s capital, Des Moines, recorded 27 inches of snow from Jan. 8-18, amid the Iowa caucuses.
This month so far qualifies for the fifth snowiest month in the city’s history. There is a slight chance of more snow Monday night, but generally the snow should begin to melt next week, according to the NWS.
On Saturday, snow continues to pile up in Michigan, specifically in Leelanau, Benzie, and Manistee counties. Between 3 and 7 inches are expected to accumulate. The NWS said snow is falling one or more inches per hour.
In Chicago, it will begin to slightly warm up Sunday but a storm system will bring freezing rain on Monday. There is a chance of rain in the windy city through Friday.
Dangerous freezing conditions threaten the South
Along the Gulf Coast, most of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle are at risk of hard-freeze conditions, or when temperatures stay below freezing for at least a few hours, jeopardizing crops and outdoor water pipes.
On Saturday night, temperatures will fall to single digits across Tennessee. It will get warmer next week, with highs up to the 60s in Nashville by Thursday. But the warmer weather will be coupled with bouts of rain, the NWS said.
Meanwhile, most of Arkansas, including Little Rock, is forecast to receive freezing rain on Monday. More than a quarter inch of ice is expected to accumulate northwest of the city of Russellville.