Relief from cold in sight for central, eastern US at midweek

By Faith Eherts , AccuWeather meteorologist

December 18,2016, 2:17:17PM,EST

 

 Following another fresh blast of cold air early this week, a surge of milder air will arrive into the central and eastern U.S. closer to midweek helping to ease the chill.

A period of calm weather will ensue over the eastern half of the country early this week, allowing daytime temperatures to rebound from the recent push of arctic air.
Light southerly flow from the Gulf of Mexico will hasten the recovery from the chill.
"After a few days of below-normal temperatures in the Midwest and eastern U.S. early in the week, highs will return to near average by Wednesday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Max Vido said.
Conditions may feel unseasonably warm despite returning to near-average levels.

Many major cities will experience dramatic temperature changes between Monday and Tuesday afternoons.
Oklahoma City is expected to jump 15 degrees Fahrenheit from near freezing to almost 50 F.
High temperatures in Chicago will increase from the teens to almost 30 F.
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On the eastern side of the Appalachians, the chill will linger a little bit longer.
Nashville, Tennessee, will have a 12-degree jump between Monday and Tuesday and another 8-degree increase into the 50s F by Wednesday.
New York City and Boston will reach the 40s F by Wednesday as well.
Despite the possibility of a late-week storm developing and moving into the eastern U.S., temperatures are not expected to fluctuate dramatically.
"In fact, temperatures may creep above average in the Southeast and Northeast Saturday and Sunday," Vido said.
"This will make a white Christmas unlikely along the I-95 corridor and south of the Mason-Dixon Line," he said.

Despite the recent snowfall and chill, above-freezing conditions will be in place across the Eastern Seaboard by the time the weekend rolls around.
"For those dreaming of a white Christmas, they’ll have to rely on unmelted snow cover from previously fallen snow. This area will be across the interior Northeast, lake-effect snow regions, and throughout the Midwest," Vido said.