Colder Weather on the Doorstep of the Midwest and Northeast

Brian Donegan
Published: May 12,2016
It may feel like summer across sections of the interior Northeast and New England Thursday with highs in the 80s, but the warmth will be short-lived as high temperatures turn nearly 30 degrees colder this weekend.

Setup and Timing

A cold front will slide through the Midwest Thursday and Friday with showers and thunderstorms. Behind it, the jet stream, or river of fast-moving air separating cold air from warm air, will dig southward Friday and Saturday.
(MAP: Current Temperatures)

A southward dip in the jet stream will cause cooler than average temperatures to set up across the Midwest and Northeast this weekend.

High temperatures will range from 10 to 20 degrees below average from Minneapolis and Chicago over to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
This cool shot of air will cause highs to get stuck in the 40s and 50s over the Midwest Friday and Great Lakes by Saturday, so residents of Minneapolis and Chicago will likely be looking for their light jackets.
The cold front will continue its trek eastward into the Northeast Saturday and Sunday, bringing showers and thunderstorms to the I-95 corridor and into Upstate New York and New England.
Temperatures will be close to average to start the weekend, but by Sunday Philadelphia up through Boston will be feeling the chill with highs stuck in the 50s to low 60s as the jet stream continues to dig south and east. While New York and Philadelphia improve to the mid 60s by Monday, that is still 5 to 10 degrees below average for mid-May.

Forecast Highs This Weekend

Not only will high temperatures be below normal, but low temperatures will be too. Lows in the 30s and 40s will be common over the Great Lakes region as the heart of the cold air sets in for Friday and Saturday nights. In fact, portions of the northern Great Lakes could even see a little bit of snow both nights.
Lows in the Northeast won't be quite as chilly as the Midwest this weekend. Low temperatures in the 40s are expected across the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday nights, with a few 30s possible in interior locations.

Forecast Lows This Weekend

Return to Spring Temperatures

Below-average temperatures will be slow to exit next week across the Midwest and Northeast. The early part of the week will likely still feature cool temperatures, but the pattern appears to transition back toward spring by the middle of next week with highs warming to near-average levels.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast Highs/Lows)

MORE: April 2016 Snow in the Northeast (PHOTOS)