Colder Weather This Weekend, Frost and Freezing Temperatures in the Northeast

Brian Donegan
Published: May 13,2016
Although many residents of the interior Northeast and New England enjoyed one of their warmest days of the year Thursday, high temperatures will be nearly 30 degrees colder this weekend, making it feel more like March.

Setup and Timing

A cold front will slide through the Midwest into Friday night with showers and thunderstorms. Behind it, the jet stream, or river of fast-moving air separating cold air from warm air, will dip southward for the weekend.
(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 15 to 25 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 Upper Midwest Friday and Great Lakes by Saturday, so residents of Minneapolis and Chicago will likely be looking for their light jackets. Parts of the UP of Michigan will likely even get stuck in the 30s Saturday afternoon.
The cold front will continue its trek eastward into the Northeast Saturday, 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 Washington D.C. up through Boston will be feeling the chill as the jet stream continues its southward dip.  Highs will be stuck in the 50s to low 60s across the Northeast Sunday afternoon. While Washington D.C. and Philadelphia improve to the mid 60s by Monday, that is still 5 to 15 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 20s and 30s 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 Great Lakes this weekend. Low temperatures in the 40s are expected across the Northeast on Sunday and Monday mornings, with a few 30s possible in interior locations. The highest elevations of Northern New York and Northern New England also have the possibility of some snow Saturday night and, especially, Sunday night.

Forecast Lows This Weekend

Average Last Freeze

Believe it or not, having near- or below-freezing temperatures in mid-May are not all that uncommon. Much of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and New England typically don't see their last freeze until between April 30 and May 20, which appears to be on target this year.
(MAPS: Frost and Freeze Advisories)

Average dates of the last freeze across the United States.

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 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)