1 of 2 | High temperatures that have been in the 70s and 80s to start the month will settle into the low to mid-60s for the new week in places such as Philadelphia and New York City (pictured as runners go past the the Brooklyn Bridge on Friday). Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
A strong cold front moving from the central to the eastern United States will have millions of Americans reaching for fall apparel and hot beverages this weekend into next week as the coolest air so far this season rushes east, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
The drop in temperature will be dramatic, especially compared to the near-record warmth that preceded the cooldown from last weekend into earlier this week. For some, the mercury will go from the 90s for high temperatures to the 30s for low temperatures in just a matter of days, a drop of up to 60 degrees. Advertisement
Accompanying the cooler weather will be damp and unsettled conditions, with the potential for a select few to experience their first snowflakes of the season.
Outdoor weekend activities ranging from pumpkin picking to leaf-peeping, as well as football and playoff baseball games, will be impacted by the colder weather.
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October began with warmth more typical of the midsummer months rather than early autumn across the Midwest and in parts of the Northeast due to an unusually strong area of high pressure for this time of year.
“After a reprise of summer for much of the Great Lakes and Northeast over the last week, a flip forward to the middle of fall is in store as the weekend progresses,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore. “These much chillier conditions can also lock in for a while.”
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Temperatures that were 10 to 20 degrees above the historical average to start the month will end up 10 to 20 degrees below average by the start of next week.
Signs of the approaching cooler weather arrived across the Plains and Upper Midwest earlier this week. In Minneapolis, a new daily record high of 92 was established on Sunday, but then the mercury only topped out in the 60s on Wednesday and Thursday, and highs are forecast to remain in the 50s into next week.
In Chicago, a run of temperatures above 80 that dated back to the last day of September came to an end on Thursday, and it is forecast to be no higher than the 50s from this weekend until the middle of next week.
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Farther east, while the cooldown will be delayed until later this weekend, it won’t be denied. Visitors and residents alike will be trading shorts and t-shirts for long sleeves and sweaters.
In Pittsburgh, October started out with five consecutive days of high temperatures of 80 or higher for the first time since 1950. By Sunday, afternoon high temperatures in the Steel City will be about 30 degrees lower than that.
The big cities along I-95 from Washington to Boston will also experience their coolest weather so far this season by next week. High temperatures that have been in the 70s and 80s to start the month will settle into the low to mid-60s for the new week in places such as Philadelphia and New York City.
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The cooler weather will not be limited to just the northern part of the country, as Southerners will enjoy a much-needed break from the seemingly never-ending summertime heat that carried into the beginning of fall.
Temperatures that made it into the 80s and even lower 90s for some to start the month in places such as Charlotte, North Carolina Jacksonville, Florida Little Rock, Arkansas and Nashville, Tennessee will be replaced by much more comfortable readings in the 60s and 70s for afternoon highs. Accompanying the cooldown will also be a drop in humidity. Advertisement
“This cooldown will be in stark contrast to the summerlike warmth that has preceded it across the South,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg.
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Cooler days will also mean chillier nights, resulting in the season’s first frost and freeze risk for millions by the end of next week.
On Friday, frost and freeze watches, warnings and advisories were issued by the National Weather Service along the Plains from the Dakotas and Missouri south to Kansas and Missouri, an important agricultural belt that will experience an end to the growing season this weekend.
Additional frost and freeze warnings may be issued as the core of the cold air shifts eastward beginning early next week. By the middle of the week, temperatures could dip to near-freezing territory across interior Michigan, northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and upstate New York. In general, a smaller percentage of places will be threatened by a frost or freeze in the Northeast next week compared to the Plains to start the weekend.
While these chillier conditions at night are fairly typical for early October in the north, areas in the South could have readings that challenge record-low temperatures. Charleston, South Carolina Savannah, Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida are among the locales expected to dip into the 40s on Sunday night and early Monday morning, the coldest readings since last spring. Advertisement
Those with outdoor plans this weekend and into next week will not just want to don some clothing more appropriate for cooler weather but also grab some wet weather accessories. AccuWeather meteorologists expect some rain to accompany the transition to cooler weather then showers to linger after it in some areas.
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The rain associated with the cold front will join forces with some tropical moisture from Philippe and make for a soggy start to the weekend across the Northeast. For many, Sunday will end up being the better day for going outside despite the cooler weather expected to arrive then, it does look drier along the coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England, including in the larger metropolitan areas.
A continuation of dreary weather can be expected farther west, well after the front moves through. This will especially be the case downwind of the Great Lakes, where some lake-effect showers can develop-and not just of the rainy variety.
“In the Great Lakes, the colder air moving over the relatively warmer lakes will make for volatile conditions,” said DeVore. “This can lead to lake-effect rain showers, waterspouts and even some graupel mixing in with the rain.”
Graupel forms when temperatures higher in the atmosphere are cool enough for snowflakes to reach near the ground, but they end up becoming coated with a layer of ice. Advertisement
Areas farther away from the warmer lakes may even get some wet snowflakes later in the weekend into Monday, as even colder air moves in higher in the atmosphere. While accumulating snow is not expected to be widespread, some higher-elevation locales such as the Adirondacks of upstate New York could receive their first flakes of the season.
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Being the first weekend of October and only the second full weekend of autumn, plenty of people will be pining to head outdoors on their days off to enjoy some fall activities. Mother Nature will certainly play a role in their plans this weekend.
Those heading outdoors for autumn activities such as visiting a pumpkin patch, taking in the changing fall colors or participating in fun runs or marathons will need to dress warmly, especially if the events take place in the morning hours.
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Multiple college and professional football games, as well as playoff baseball, will also be impacted by this cooler weather. Gusty winds expected to accompany the cooldown will also play a factor in many games.
“The cooler air mass will come just in time to impact the beginning of some Major League Baseball playoff games,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. “On Saturday afternoon, a gusty wind from the northwest can impact the game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, with temperatures hovering in the mid- to upper 60s.” Advertisement
Meanwhile, Game 1 of the National League Division Series in Atlanta that evening is forecast to be an even cooler affair.
“At Truist Park, there will be a cool, gusty breeze blowing out of the northwest, with the RealFeel® expected to fall into the 50s as the evening progresses,” added Pydynowski. “Fans there will certainly need jackets after such a warm start to early October.”
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