The United States is headed for a massive pattern change as arctic weather gives millions their first taste of winter.
It all starts this weekend when a cold front allows December-like weather from near the North Pole to begin spreading into the northern United States. This front will move further south and east over the weekend, and by Monday temperatures could drop 10 to 20 degrees below normal almost everywhere east of the Rockies.
Those wintry conditions — with the coldest temperatures of the season — could make it south to the Gulf Coast early next week. A few places in the Southeast may even flirt with record low temperatures.
A short flip in the pattern will also bring some parts of the Midwest the first snowfalls of fall and turn on the lake-effect snow machine for the first time this season, bringing measurable snow downwind of the Great Lakes.
Here’s how this cool change will go.
A wintry weekend for some
Parts of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest will be first in line to see temperatures drop starting Saturday. For some people, this drop in temperature can also feel like winter.
Minneapolis is likely to see near-normal highs in the mid-40s on Friday, but will barely reach the high 30s on Saturday. There’s a slight chance of a rain/snow mix throughout Saturday, but it’s more likely to fall south of the Twin Cities. In Minneapolis, the first measurable snow — defined as at least 0.1 inches — usually doesn’t arrive until Nov. 3, but that hasn’t happened yet and likely won’t happen Saturday.
The December chill will spread to much more of the country on Sunday.
The day will begin in the low 20s or lower across much of the central US and remain cold. Temperatures could drop 15 degrees below average across much of the Plains, Midwest and parts of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.
High temperatures in Chicago will likely struggle to reach the high 30s Sunday, which is about 15 degrees cooler than normal. St. Louis will be 15 degrees colder than it should be, with a high near 40 degrees.
Coldest weather since spring at the beginning of the week
Monday morning will be the coldest since spring for tens of millions of people east of the Rockies. A low or below zero temperature of 32 degrees is possible as far south as Texas and as far east as the Appalachians.
Monday morning will be quite chilly for millions, with temperatures below freezing across much of the US. – CNN Weather
Buffalo, New York could see highs in the 20s Monday morning and only drop into the mid 30s in the afternoon. The typical early November temperature in the city is around 50 degrees.
Monday will likely be the coldest day of the winter blast for much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States, but the Southeast will be the epicenter of the coldest-than-normal weather.
Nashville, Tennessee will likely see high temperatures in the mid-40s on Monday, with temperatures dropping below freezing early in the morning. That’s nearly 20 degrees below normal — 63 degrees would be normal for Monday.
Temperatures will also drop sharply in Atlanta on Monday. Highs in the city on Sunday are expected to be in the mid-60s, but temperatures will struggle to reach the mid-40s on Monday. Temperatures could drop into the low 20s on Tuesday morning, which could be Atlanta’s coldest morning since February.
Much of the east will remain fairly cold on Tuesday. It’s likely to be the coldest morning in Washington, DC and New York. Low temperatures in both cities could be near freezing, with morning wind chills in the mid-20s.
But this cold snap won’t last long, with temperatures quickly rising to or above normal across much of the central US on Tuesday, followed by mostly easterlies on Wednesday.
The highest chance of snow in the Great Lakes
A burst of arctic air could produce some places to see the first measurable snow event of the year, but exactly where — and how much — is still up in the air.
Typical snow bands downwind of the Great Lakes are the most likely to accomplish that feat for now later this weekend and into next week, with lake effect possible after a cold front swings over the lakes on Sunday. Snow accumulations are possible in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York through Monday night.
Snow is also possible in other parts of the Midwest this weekend. Chicago, Milwaukee and Rochester, Minnesota, are among those places that could see a mix of rain and snow or the first decent snowfall of the season, though accumulations are expected to be light.
CNN meteorologist Chris Dolce contributed to this report.
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