Arctic chill to ease in the midwestern, eastern US later next week

By Brian Thompson , AccuWeather meteorologist

January 6,2017, 1:14:43PM,EST

 

 Following a round of bitterly cold air through the weekend, milder air will surge into much of the midwestern and eastern United States next week.

Afternoon high temperatures from St. Louis to New York City will jump around 30 degrees Fahrenheit from the weekend to the first half of next week.
“The weather pattern is going to shift so that milder air from the eastern Pacific will flow into the central and eastern U.S. next week,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Mike Doll said.
The arctic air has been spreading from west to east across the country throughout the week.
RELATED
Snow, freeze-up to immobilize southern US before eyeing coastal Northeast
It will feel like the single digits in Pittsburgh, Green Bay for NFL Wild Card Weekend
Q and A: Seasonal affective disorder expert explains how to beat the winter blues
The temperature dropped below freezing in 48 out of 50 states on Thursday morning, with the only exceptions being Louisiana and Florida.
North Dakota and northern Minnesota have had some of the coldest weather, thanks in part to the 1-2 feet of snow that is on the ground.
Bismarck, North Dakota, spent 67 straight hours at or below zero F from Tuesday morning through Thursday evening.
While the temperature may ease a bit, cold air will remain firmly in place through the end of next week in the northern Plains.

Farther south and east, a southwesterly flow on the eastern side of a developing storm system in the Plains will help root out the cold gradually. As that happens, a messy wintry mix may result in many areas.
“In the transition from below freezing to above freezing temperatures, there can be some snow and ice early in the week from the Midwest to the Great Lakes into parts of the Northeast,” Doll said.
Once the cold air retreats, high temperatures will likely reach the 50s on Wednesday from Boston to New York and potentially approach 60 from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
The warmup is expected to be brief, as temperatures should return closer to average levels across the Midwest and East later next week.