Back-to-Back Arctic Blasts Will Send Midwest, Northeast into a Deep Freeze Through the Weekend

Chris Dolce
Published: December 13,2016
Back-to-back rounds of arctic air will grip parts of the nation's northern tier through this weekend, continuing what has been an icy cold start to December in many cities.
(MORE: 5 Things to Know About Arctic Cold Fronts and the Plummeting Temperatures They Produce)
The first intrusion of arctic air this week has already made its way into the Plains and upper Midwest, and will take aim on the Northeast by late week. Another round of shivering temperatures may then plunge south of the Canadian border and into the north-central states by this weekend, on the heels of Winter Storm Decima which will move through that region.
(MORE: Another Snowstorm in the Midwest)

Two rounds of arctic air will sweep into the nation's northern tier this week into the weekend.

Some locations could see their coldest December temperatures in several years, and a few record lows may be threatened. Wind chills will make it feel like the teens, 20s or 30s below zero in the Midwest, at times, this week.
(MORE: Current Wind Chills | How is the Wind Chill Calculated?)

Forecast: Arctic Cold Round #1

On Tuesday morning, subzero lows were recorded as far south as northern Iowa and northern Nebraska. Wind chills dropped as low as minus 36 degrees in Winthrop, Minnesota.
Great Falls, Montana, recorded its ninth straight day in a row with subzero lows on Tuesday morning. That is longest such streak there since February 1996.
Here is an overview of the expected highs and lows through the workweek, followed by some perspective on the last time we saw temperatures this cold in December for a few cities.

Current Temperatures

Forecast Highs

• Midwest: Highs from Montana to the Great Lakes will generally be in single digits and teens in most locations, with this first round of cold air through Thursday. At times, it will be 10-25 degrees below average for this time of year.
• East: The coldest high temperatures will sweep through the Eastern Seaboard Thursday-Friday with daytime readings 10-25 degrees below average. Temperatures will not rise out of the 20s along the Interstate 95 corridor, from Boston to Washington D.C., on Thursday. Interior Northeast cities may not get out of the teens. 
• Cities: Bismarck, North Dakota | Chicago | Minneapolis | Boston | New York

Forecast Highs

Forecast Lows

• Midwest: By Thursday and Friday morning, Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit could see temperatures plunge to near or below zero, which is 20-30 degrees below average for mid-December. Parts of North Dakota and Minnesota may see lows in the double digits below zero Thursday morning, including Minneapolis. Wind chills in the teens, 20s and 30s below zero will impact the northern Plains and upper Midwest through midweek.
• East: Friday morning looks to be the coldest for many Northeast cities, with lows 20-30 degrees below average. Single digits above and below zero are expected in parts of upstate New York, northern/western Pennsylvania and New England. Wind chills will be single digits, teens and even a few 20s below zero across the interior Northeast and New England Friday morning
• Cities: Billings, Montana | Detroit | Milwaukee | Fargo, North Dakota | Buffalo, New York | Pittsburgh | Washington, D.C.

Forecast Morning Lows

Cold Perspective

• Will any record lows be set? Widespread daily record lows are not forecast, but some locations could flirt with records on Friday morning. This includes (record to beat is shown): Bridgeport, Connecticut (11 degrees), Worcester, Massachusetts (minus 2 degrees), Detroit (minus 3 degrees), JFK Airport (15 degrees), Syracuse, New York (minus 1 degree), Binghamton, New York (minus 1 degree), and Islip, New York (10 degrees).
• Chicago and Milwaukee: Thursday or Friday could feature the first subzero December temperatures in those cities since Dec. 24, 2013, and Dec. 30, 2013, respectively. Thursday could also be the first December day since 2008 that the high fails to rise out of single digits in Chicago.
• Detroit: Friday morning could be the first subzero December reading since Dec. 25, 2004 (minus 4 degrees).
• Boston: A low of 8 degrees or colder would be the lowest official December temperature in the city since 2004.
• Pittsburgh: The first single-digit December low temperature since Dec. 31, 2009 (9 degrees), is possible Friday morning.

Forecast: Arctic Cold Round #2

The second plunge of arctic air will begin seeping south of the Canadian border and into the northern Plains by Friday. That cold air will spread eastward across the Midwest during the upcoming weekend.
This weekend's temperatures could be the coldest we've see so far this month in some locales, but given this several days away, uncertainty remains in the details.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast)

• Lows: Temperatures in the teens and 20s below zero will infiltrate areas from Montana to the Dakotas and the upper Mississippi Valley this weekend. In some locations, this will be 20-40 degrees below mid-December average lows. Single digits below zero may surge into the Front Range of Colorado, Kansas, northern Missouri and northern Illinois.
• Highs: Afternoon readings may not rise above zero in the northern Plains and upper Midwest this weekend, including Minneapolis and Fargo, North Dakota.
• This round of arctic air may spread through the Great Lakes and into the Northeast early next week.

Forecast Morning Lows This Weekend

Cold Perspective For This Weekend

• Minneapolis: If the mercury plunges into the 20s below zero, that would be the first time it's happened there in December since 1996. The last 20s below zero in the Twin Cities for any month occurred in January 2014.
• Bismarck, North Dakota: Saturday's high may be in the teens below zero. The last time they recorded a high in the double digits below zero in December was 2008. They haven't had a high in the teens below zero in any month since January 2010.

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