A major cold outbreak will bring a “significant temperature plunge” to 100 million Americans beginning this weekend and lasting into next week, AccuWeather reported.
Although the snow associated with the cold weather system is typical for this time of year, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told Newsweek that temperatures will drop as much as 25 degrees below normal as the frigid weather grips the country.
Why It Matters
The incoming weather signals the first widespread taste of winter for many. It comes as forecasters have been anticipating snowfall to hit parts of the North, Midwest, and Northeast beginning this weekend and persisting until early next week.
What To Know
By early next week, December-like temperatures will stretch from Kansas and Nebraska eastward through the Midwest, South and into the Northeast.
Temperatures will be 10 to 25 degrees below average for this time of year. Frigid winds in some places will also make temperatures feel as much as 20 degrees less than their true levels.
The steepest departure from average temperatures will hit Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and North Carolina, where temperatures will dip as much as 25 degrees below average. Temperatures around 10 to 15 degrees below normal are impacting a much more widespread area, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and many other states.
Freeze warnings could stretch as far south as the Florida panhandle, with National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists warning people to make sure they bring their pets inside.
Temperatures will drop beginning on Sunday, with the Midwest, Plains and Mississippi Valley regions being the first to feel the cold, AccuWeather reported. Then, the air will surge into the Northeast and Southeast by early next week.
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather storm warning meteorologist Tristan Irish said in a report: “Most areas in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri have only experienced brief periods of cold, with the lowest temperatures near or well above freezing so far this autumn. This is in sharp contrast to Sunday and Monday, where highs may only be in the 40s to 50s, with lows in the teens and 20s.”
NWS in a Friday forecast: “Temperatures will drop over Texas on Sunday after the Arctic front sweeps through.”
What Happens Next?
People living in the impacted areas should make sure they are prepared for cold weather, bring pets inside, and protect any vulnerable outdoor plumbing.
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