An urgent freeze threat is spreading across the United States, with millions of Americans facing a sharp temperature drop and the possibility of seeing the season’s first snow this weekend.
Forecasters expect temperatures to tumble by more than 30 degrees across the Northeast, New England, the Midwest and the Great Lakes between Friday and Saturday.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the abrupt Arctic surge could dramatically reverse conditions in parts of the Northeast, taking temperatures from around 20 degrees above average to roughly 20 degrees below normal for mid-October.
By Saturday morning, lows are forecast to sink into the 20s across northern Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.
Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New York and Boston are expected to begin the weekend with temperatures in the 30s, while powerful wind gusts push frigid air through much of the northern United States.
Snow showers could develop from Friday into Saturday, bringing some communities their first flakes of the season. The greatest chance is in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where cold air from Canada will meet warmer air lingering over the Great Lakes.
The National Weather Service has issued widespread Freeze Warnings for sections of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois as the same Canadian air mass advances eastward.
The alerts remain in effect into Saturday. The NWS cautioned: ‘Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.’
Millions of Americans in the Midwest and Great Plains are under a Freeze Warning as temperatures plunge in the US (Stock Image)
Cold Canadian air is forecasted to sweep into the Northeast on October 16
The sudden Friday cooldown could also trigger storms along the East Coast, AccuWeather warned, with some areas at risk of particularly strong thunderstorms as unseasonably warm October weather gives way to winterlike conditions.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in a statement: ‘Wind gusts in some of the more potent storms will range between 55 and 65 mph.’
‘It is possible that in one or two of the most intense storms, a brief tornado could occur, especially in eastern parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and western Connecticut.’
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Storms are forecast to move across Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the wider New York City region on Friday afternoon.
Farther north, rain could turn to snow overnight in parts of northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
In the central United States, an NWS Freeze Warning urged about 15 million people to prepare for temperatures dropping below the 32-degree Fahrenheit freezing mark on Friday.
The warnings apply to Friday morning, while portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois also face overnight alerts from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. local time Saturday.
Freeze Watches have also been posted as far south as Oklahoma and Texas from Friday night into Saturday morning. In those areas, temperatures may hover near freezing, creating a risk for crops and other outdoor vegetation.
Temperatures are expected to drop by more than 30 degrees from their unseasonably warm levels this week
Freeze Warnings (dark blue) and freeze watches (light blue) have been issued in multiple states on October 16 as cold air moves east
While the arctic plunge will be dramatic over the weekend, AccuWeather noted that the first frost of the season is actually coming right on time for many of the states affected.
According to the weather service, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, southern Minnesota and parts of the Dakotas and Nebraska all traditionally see the first freeze of the year by October 15.
Even the portions of Oklahoma and Texas, which are under Freeze Watches this weekend, typically see the first freeze in mid-to-late October.
AccuWeather expert meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said: ‘This weekend will bring a noticeable reminder that winter is getting closer.’
‘People who still have sensitive plants outdoors should start paying close attention to overnight temperatures, while anyone heading outside this weekend will want to dress for colder, blustery conditions.’
