Brief, Cold Winter Reality Check Lingers Into the Weekend in the Northeast

Brian Donegan
Published: March 3,2017
Winter has pushed its way back into the conversation in the Northeast, with cold temperatures lingering into the weekend.
Light snow is possible in a few areas, along with temperatures over 40 degrees colder in some cities than the record warmth earlier this week, not to mention the severe weather accompanying that record warmth.
A southward dip in the jet stream across the East and a fast-moving disturbance are responsible for this brief weather pattern change. As a result, much-colder temperatures, more typical of the heart of winter, will now be the story for the next few days.
(MORE: 6 Strange Things We've Seen in the Past Week's Weather)
The upper Midwest will generally see highs in the 30s and 40s on Saturday as a warm-up is ushered in.
Portions of the Northeast will be stuck in the teens and 20s for highs into the weekend, and a few places in upstate New York and northern New England may even hold in the teens Saturday afternoon.
Lows will have you grabbing your winter coat once again after the recent warmth we've seen.
Parts of the upper Midwest and Northeast will see morning low temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average through Sunday.

Forecast Lows

Single-digit lows are forecast near the Canadian border, while teens can be expected in a band from parts of the Great Lakes to the Northeast. A few of the coldest locations may even dip below zero.
The NWS has posted wind chill advisories for a swath of upstate New York and northern New England, where wind chills through Saturday morning may be as cold as 30 degrees below zero.
Beginning Sunday afternoon warmer temperatures will spread from the Plains and Midwest to the East yet again. Most areas will see highs and lows return to levels well above early-March averages.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast High/Low Temperatures)

Alberta Clipper Snow, Too

In addition to the cold, a weak Alberta Clipper weather system will sweep from the Great Lakes through the Ohio Valley through Saturday. This will spread light snow or flurries across these regions, but it isn't expected to be a major snowmaker.
(MORE: Record Snowless Streak in Chicago)
Most places along this Alberta Clipper's path will see little accumulation, but it will be notable due to the dry winter. But it could lead to localized hazardous travel conditions.
The best chance for a few inches of accumulating snow is in parts of Illinois and Indiana.

Snowfall Forecast

MORE: Winter Storm Quid, February 2016

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