First taste of La Niña winter ahead with big freeze and snow on the way for millions of Americans
Winter will make an early appearance in the Eastern U.S. beginning Sunday. Temperatures will plummet into the 20s and 30s and an area of low pressure will bring the first snow to many places around the Great Lakes in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
The first real glimpse of winter is coming for millions of Americans next week as temperatures drop and a chance for snow rolls in.
An area of low pressure is expected to move out of Canada as the weekend approaches, ushering in the first taste of a La Niña winter for much of the U.S., according to the FOX Forecast Center.
The La Niña pattern signifies colder temperatures and also tends to bring more frequent Nor’easters along the Eastern Seaboard, which has already seen several coastal storms this fall.
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Amount of people below freezing Sunday through Tuesday.
(FOX Weather)
Cold air from Canada will move south, settling in the Eastern half of the country Sunday and lasting through most of next week.
During the night, 170 million Americans across 35 states could see temperatures below freezing, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Those across the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota may actually wake up to wind chills in the single digits Sunday morning.
On Monday, cities like Minneapolis, St. Louis, Detroit and Pittsburgh will be waking up to temperatures in the 20s and Atlanta, Dallas, and Nashville will see morning temperatures in the 30s.
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Temperature departure from average.
(FOX Weather)
High temperatures during the day will struggle to rise out of the 30s, the FOX Forecast Center said.
The chilly temperatures move east into the Plains and Appalachian Mountains by Monday, too.
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Blustery winds between 20-35 mph will make things feel even colder. Wind chills in the interior Northeast are likely to be in the teens.
Numerous record lows are possible across the Southeast by Tuesday morning. Some locations across the South are forecast to come close to, tie or break century-old low temperature records on Tuesday morning.
Arctic air from Canada will spill into the Eastern U.S. early next week and bring the first big freeze of the season to the entire South. On Monday, cities like Atlanta, Dallas, and Nashville will see wakeup temperatures in the 30s. Numerous record lows are now possible across the Southeast including portions of Southeast Florida by Tuesday morning.
Bring on the lake-effect snow
As the cold air from the area of low pressure moves over the relatively warmer waters of the Great Lakes, lake-effect snow will once again return to the forecast, marking the first occurrence of the season for many areas.
Current forecasts show that northerly winds on Monday will lead snow to target northern Indiana, southern Michigan, northern Ohio, and northwestern Pennsylvania. This includes areas in and around Chicago.
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FILE – MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – DECEMBER 2022: A pedestrian walks down Nicollet Mall while high winds kick up snow Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022 in downtown Minneapolis. (Photo by Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The FOX Forecast Center said the eastern shores of Lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario are most likely to see snow.
By Tuesday, winds shift to the west, and heavier lake-effect snow bands are expected to impact western Michigan and western New York.
Potential snow forecast for next week.
(FOX Weather)
Snow totals along the Great Lakes could accumulate to 5-8 inches with locally higher amounts up to 8-12 inches possible, the FOX Forecast Center said.
The taste of winter will be short-lived as temperatures return back to average by mid-week.
