Baby it's colder than normal outside!December is off to a chillier than typical startfor much of the country.
Just in time for a weekend of holiday festivals and parades,more frosty temperatureswill blanket much of the north and eastern regions of the country, potentially with some record-breaking lows. It's all thanks to another of theArctic blasts forecasters have been talking aboutand it's not likely to be the last.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service and AccuWeather saythe polar air could linger, keeping things colderthan typical for early to mid-December, for many locations outside the Southwest. In the West, temperatures will trend warmer into next week, when warmer-than-average temperatures also are forecast to spread into the central and southern Plains, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
One Arctic front moved across the Great Lakes on Dec. 3, triggering advisories for snow squalls in New England on Thursday, Dec. 4. Then over December 6-7, "daytime highs and morning lows could be 10-15 degrees below normal in the Northern Plains/Upper Midwest,"the prediction center said. That cold air mass also will move eastward.
The prediction center warns additional winter weather advisories may be needed by later in the week and advises paying attention to the weather forecast.
You won't believe these sculptures are made of snow
A snowstorm was forecast to move through the Rockies overnight on Dec. 3-4, bringing the largest snowfall of the season so far to Denver, AccuWeather said. In the Northern Rockies, the probabilities are climbing for big snowfall at the higher elevations, with 1 to 2 feet of snow possible.
The polar air swooping into the northern Plains on Dec. 4 could send temperatures in some locations to below zero, AccuWeather said.
What is the polar vortex?How it affects our weather.
"The blast of Arctic air will bring snow showers and snow squalls to parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast," said Alex Duffus, AccuWeather meteorologist.
Further east and south, a winter storm will move across an area extending from Texas to Delaware late in the week, the Weather Prediction Center said. Heavy rain and potentially freezing rain are expected to occur along a line from Texas into Georgia on Dec. 5, then move further north east on Dec. 6.
"A fast-moving storm can spread a swath of snow from the Tennessee Valley to the mid-Atlantic late Thursday night (Dec. 4) through Friday night (Dec. 5)," said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather's vice president of forecasting operations in an advisory.
"While this does not appear to be a major winter storm, it is certainly enough to cause slippery roads on Friday and Friday night," DePodwin said. "We're most confident that snow will fall in the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. The snow can also spread north toward Washington, DC, potentially causing slick roads Friday."
A marginal risk of severe weather is possible in the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia along the boundary of the system, which could stall and present a flash flood threat, the prediction center said.
The pattern of cold waves over Dec. 5 and 6 and those expected beyond that are forecast to drop temperatures well below the normal average, said Paul Pastelok, a long-range meteorologist for AccuWeather.
In Pittsburgh, for example, it's likely temperatures will remain below 40 degrees through at least Dec. 9, the local weather service office said on Dec. 3. The last time the temperature didn't rise above 40 over the first nine days of December was 2005.
Will it be a white Christmas?Adjust your expectations.
How much snow fell in early December?
Thefirst December storm that moved into the Eastcollided with an offshore low to bring plentiful moisture into the Northeast, with as much as 12 inches of snow.
Here's the highest snowfall by state:
New York: Phoenicia (10 miles west-northwest), 12 inches. As well as 10 inches or more in Clifton Park, Callicoon Center, Liberty and Mongaup Valley.
New Hampshire: Laconia, 10 inches.
Maine: North New Portland, 9.5 inches.
Massachusetts: Ashburnham, 8.9 inches.
Vermont: Arlington, 8.7 inches.
Pennsylvania: 8.0 inches in Damascus and Narrowsburg
Ohio: 6.6 inches in Hollansburg and Lakeview.
New Jersey: Kittatinny Lake, 3.6 inches.
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:December's 'blast of Arctic air' has started. What's next?
