Coldest Air of the Season Sweeping Through Central and Southern States

November 22,2015
After mild weather this past week, temperatures have fallen back to levels more typical of November in parts of the central and eastern United States. In fact, some areas are seeing the coldest temperatures of the season so far.
For example, highs in the 50s and low 60s in Chicago early last week were replaced with highs in the 40s Thursday and Friday. Later Friday into Saturday, Winter Storm Bella was the second largest snowstorm on record for the Windy City, with 11.2 inches measured at O'Hare International Airport. Thanks to the fresh snowpack from Bella, lows dipped into the teens and single digits Sunday morning across Chicagoland. O'Hare reported a low of 11 degrees, the coldest reading so far this season there.
To the west of Chicago, Rochelle, Illinois, slipped below zero to minus three degrees Sunday morning. Waterloo, Iowa, also saw temperatures dive below zero late Saturday night into just after midnight Sunday. The temperature fell to minus five degrees at 11:41 p.m. CST Saturday night, setting a daily record low for Nov. 21.

Daily record lows were also set Sunday morning in Moline, Illinois (1 degree), and Dubuque, Iowa (2 degrees - tie).
Milwaukee (16 degrees), Indianapolis (16 degrees) and Detroit (23 degrees) are some of the other cities that have seen their coldest temperatures so far this season Sunday morning. Highs did not even reach the freezing mark on Sunday afternoon from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Chicago and Indianapolis.
(MORE: Bella Brings Record Snowfall to Parts of the Midwest)
Some locations in the South have seen their first official freeze of the season Sunday morning, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (30 degrees), Little Rock (30 degrees), Oklahoma City (22 degrees) and Birmingham, Alabama (30 degrees).
Freeze warnings or watches are in effect for portions of the South, including parts of the Gulf Coast for Monday morning.
Atlanta, Montgomery, Alabama, and Mobile, Alabama, could record their first official freeze of the season Monday morning.
In addition to the frigid low temperatures, highs will be quite chilly as well. High temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below average for late November in portions of the Southeast. Highs will generally top out in the 40s and 50s from Virginia into Tennesee and Georgia.

Forecast Highs

A slight moderating trend in temperatures is anticipated by Monday and Tuesday for the central Plains to lower Ohio Valley, although chilly conditions should linger across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.

Forecast Highs

New England and Upstate New York can expect chilly conditions to prevail through early in the coming week, but the Middle Atlantic region and central Appalachians should see a gradual moderating trend in temperatures by Tuesday.

Forecast Highs

As high pressure eventually moves off the East Coast and a storm system begins to develop over the Rockies by the middle of the week, warmer air should return to much of the central and eastern United States by Thanksgiving.

MORE: Winter in Every State