Record Cold Likely Across Southeast
A cold outbreak will plunge into the U.S. this weekend and bring the coldest air of the season to the Midwest and Northeast and a widespread freeze into the Deep South with their coldest early November air in 32 years, including Florida.
Not only will colder air plunge in, but it will be cold enough for some to see their first snow of the season. We have more details on that here.
When Will It Arrive
Here’s a general timeline of when you can expect the cold air to arrive:
– Friday night – Saturday: Northern Plains and upper Midwest
– Sunday: Plains as far south as Oklahoma, the Tennessee Valley, rest of the Midwest and the interior Northeast
– Monday: Most of the South including the northern Gulf Coast, northern Florida and East Coast
How Cold?
In most of the Midwest, South and East, these will be the coldest daytime temperatures of fall, so far.
This weekend, highs will be stuck in the 30s in the Northern Plains and western Great Lakes.
On Monday, highs could be stuck in the 30s as far south as the southern Appalachians, and 40s will be as warm as it gets during the day from the Northeast’s I-95 corridor as far south as parts of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. These could be record chilly highs for November 10 in places such as Huntsville, Alabama (43 degrees is their daily record), and Macon, Georgia (49 degrees is their daily record).
On Tuesday, highs struggling to reach 50 degrees in the coastal Carolinas could set record cold Veterans Day highs, there. Average highs in Charleston, South Carolina, this time of year are in the low 70s. Parts of central Florida may only rise into the low to mid-60s, also flirting with Veterans Day record cold highs.
(MAPS: 10-Day US Forecast Highs/Lows)
Morning lows will plunge into the 20s as far south as the Deep South, and even some 30s in northern and parts of central Florida by Tuesday. This will lead to a widespread freeze into the Deep South Tuesday morning including parts of the northern Gulf Coast.
That could flirt with Veterans Day record lows in over a dozen locations in the Southeast including Savannah, Georgia (31 degrees), Mobile, Alabama (31 degrees), and Ft. Myers, Florida (45 degrees).
This could be the coldest early November outbreak in Florida and other parts of the Southeast in 32 years, since a Nov. 1993 outbreak produced a freeze in Gainesville, Florida, and plunged Birmingham, Alabama, to a frigid 24 degrees.
If that wasn’t enough, strong winds in the wake of the cold front will send wind chills plummeting into the teens and 20s. A few areas of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest could even see single-digit wind chills, at times.
Some Fall Cold Tips
Given this abrupt cold change after the recent fall warmth, here are some things you may want to keep in mind.
– Pull your winter jacket, hat and gloves from the back of the closet. You’ll need them in this cold blast.
– Make sure the kids are dressed for the cold at any outdoor sports events or just going to school, especially waiting at the bus stop.
– If headed to any college or NFL games this weekend in the Midwest, you’ll have to dress warmer than you have so far this season, especially in Chicago (Giants versus Bears) and Green Bay (Eagles versus Packers Monday night).
– If you have any yard work, you may want to get that done before the cold air arrives, so you won’t have to rake leaves in the wind and cold.
– Shut off your outside faucets and drain any garden hoses to avoid any freezing.
(MORE: What November Weather Is Typically Like)
Fleeting Cold
If this cold is too soon for you, we have some good news.
It won’t last that long.
Milder air will quickly return to the nation’s mid-section by Tuesday.
However, the cold may be a bit more stubborn to leave the Northeast, as another reinforcing cold front sweeps out of Canada.
(MORE: November Outlook)
As a Midwest resident, I feel this November reality check almost every year. It’s still hard to believe we’re about three weeks from Thanksgiving, already.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
