Three Separate Storms to Combine with Cold Air to Create Dramatically Different Weather for the Northeast

Posted: October 30, 2023 8:51 am

The end of October is going to go out on a blustery note for the Northeast with a powerful cold front and two different storm systems due to impact the region over the next few days. This dramatic change in the weather pattern will bring the first snowfall of the season for some parts of the region. Here is what you can expect in this corner of the country as the calendar flips from October to November.

Change in Calendar Will Bring Change in Weather to Northeast

What will likely be the coldest air mass since early last spring is about to make a grand entrance rushing into the Northeast. This surge of cold air will support the development of snow and hard freezes for many areas, bringing an end to the growing season across the region.

Trick-or-treaters will want to bundle up on Halloween as the weather will not be favorable for outdoor activities on Tuesday. The drop in the mercury will come as a surprise to residents that have been enjoying unseasonably warm weather as of late. Daily highs will fall as much as 30 degrees from the readings experienced last week.

For instance, temperatures in Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. will plummet from highs that reached the 80s on Saturday to highs that struggle to get out of the 50s on Monday. The cooler air started to make its way into the region on Sunday, however, the change will really become apparent at the start of the new work week.

The influx of cooler air at the end of the weekend was accompanied by several rounds of moisture. This unsettled weather will linger on Monday, creating a wet morning commute for some areas. This surge of precipitation will be followed by even colder air rushing in behind it on Tuesday.

How cold will it get? The high temperatures in Philadelphia will hang out in the upper 40s and low 50s for several consecutive days, a marked difference from the readings in the 80s just a few days prior.

It will be even colder in the overnight hours with lows bottoming out in the 20s across a large portion of the Ohio Valley, the mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast. Temperatures of this degree will deliver the first hard freeze of the season for the region. This will translate to unseasonably cold weather for Halloween night. You can expect temperatures that dip into the 30s during the evening hours in the interior portions of the Northeast while the coastal areas will hover in the 40s.

Windy conditions will bring the real feel readings down even further, settling at about 10 degrees below the actual temperature. In addition, the moisture sticking around the region could also make it a more miserable night to be outside.

Alberta Clipper to Push Down from the North

The arrival for an Alberta Clipper will set the stage for the first snowflakes of the winter for the interior Northeast and beyond. These storms get their name from the origination point in Alberta, Canada. An Alberta Clipper typically moves through the Midwest and the Northeast, bringing down the cold air from the north in the process. The storms are also distinguished for their ability to create rapidly accumulating snow in a short amount of time.

This clipper storm is expected to follow the first round of moisture on Sunday yet prior to another storm forecast to take root off the coast of the Northeast. The northern half of New England will likely see the first significant snowfall this week. The National Weather Service (NWS) has already issued winter weather advisories for portions of central and northern Maine. The rain is predicted to change to snow by Monday evening.

The impact zone for the wintry precipitation will then move back west as the clipper storm inches into the area. This movement will mean the chance of snow showers for the Upper Midwest by Monday. The Great Lakes should be prepared for this snow to erupt by Tuesday. Trick-or-treaters in Cleveland, Erie, and Buffalo may see the flakes coming down as they head out for candy.

Accumulations will not likely be significant thanks to the warmer ground temperatures. However, you can expect the chance of a coating of snow on elevated surfaces, particularly in areas downwind of the Great Lakes.

Coastal Storm Forecast to Form in Northeast

Lastly, forecasters will be watching the potential of a coastal storm springing to life in the Northeast as the energy generated by the clipper weather maker moves offshore. The tradeoff with the influx of cold air will be that this mass will push the developing moisture offshore so that areas inland do not record significant wintry precipitation.

However, cold rain is in the forecast from the Delmarva Peninsula and into southern New England beginning Tuesday and lasting through Wednesday. This forecast will spell a good shot of moisture for the Jersey Shore, the coastal areas of Rhode Island, and up through Boston.

The interior portions of New England will continue to see chances of light snow through early Thursday on the heels of the cold air that will not budge. Those that are already tired of the cold weather will be happy to learn that milder conditions are in store for the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic by the end of the week. In fact, temperatures will inch up to about 5 to 15 degrees above the historical average for early November.

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