Chilly Start to December Will Have Some Staying Power

The first day of December certainly felt like winter across much of the northern and eastern U.S. This wintry weather is forecast to continue with the frigid temperatures lingering into the start of the new week. Here is a look at this frosty forecast.

Winter Weather Taking Over the Central and Eastern U.S.

The influx of cold air coming down from Canada will pair with gusty winds and snow to make it feel like winter for the central and eastern portions of the country. The meteorological winter kicked off on December 1 with Mother Nature doing her part to make it feel that way. In addition to the significantly colder temperatures, the northern part of the U.S. has also been grappling with lake-effect snow and other wintry impacts.

There will be no relief from the cold heading into the new week. The brisk winds will send the real feel readings plummeting to below zero in some areas of the Dakotas and western Minnesota. Real feel temperatures will hover in the teens across the central Plains and into the Ohio Valley, the Northeast, and New England when the winds start blowing. The bitter cold will continue to march to the south. Monday's real feel highs will bottom out in the 20s and 30s for areas as far south as Oklahoma and the Carolinas.

The winds will pick up speed again in the Midwest and the Northwest as the week progresses. This will bring the real feel temperatures down farther as gusts hit speeds of 30 to 50 mph. Blowing snow and reduced visibility will be an issue for the Great Lakes thanks to all of the snow on the ground from the weekend lake-effect snow event.