Frigid Temperatures Making a Return to the Central and Eastern U.S.

After a stretch of more seasonable temperatures, the bitterly cold air is making an encore appearance in the central and eastern U.S. this week. Forecasters are warning that it is not quite time to put away those winter coats for the season as this colder air is expected to be the guiding weather pattern through the end of February. Here is a look at how cold you can expect it to get.

Do Not Get Too Attached to the Spring Temperatures as More Winter is on the Way

The milder air that had been dominating the zone east of the Colorado Rockies has gone into hibernation. Old Man Winter is back, bringing the mercury down in the process. While a good portion of the central and eastern U.S. will be under the gun for the frigid temperatures, the northern Plains will see the most significant departure from normal readings with the mercury falling up to 40 degrees below the historical average for the middle of February.

Meteorologists refer to the typical warmup of February as "fool's spring." The pattern gets its name as people mistakenly think that spring is on the way due to an influx of warmer weather. But right on schedule, winter is reminding millions of Americans that it is not done yet.

Keep in mind that meteorological spring does not officially begin until March 1. The start of the astronomical spring is even later, falling on March 20 this year.

How Cold Will it Get?

How cold will it get in the days ahead? Meteorologists are predicting that several rounds of cold air will push across the eastern half of the country throughout the weekend. The first round of frigid air has already set up over the central U.S., sending the mercury as much as 40 degrees cooler than the norm as the work week comes to a close.

Some of this chilly air mass will break away and creep into the southern U.S. by the end of the week. However, the readings will not approach the uncomfortably cold weather that the Plains states experienced.

Another round of cold air will dive down from Canada and impact the northern Plains beginning Friday. This influx of Arctic air will push across the central U.S. as the weekend progresses with readings expected to land at levels up to 25 degrees below the typical readings this time of the year.

Looking at the long-range forecast, the 14-day outlook out of the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicates that temperatures will fall below average for most of the central and eastern U.S. through the end of February.

Individual City Forecasts

Now let's look at a few individual city forecasts to get a better idea of the scope of this cold pattern. The far reaches of the northern Plains will bear the brunt of these impacts. Minot, North Dakota will struggle to break past the 0-degree mark on Saturday. It will get even colder on Sunday with a forecast high of just negative 7 degrees. Monday will usher a high of only negative 14 degrees. The trend will begin to change slightly by Tuesday, however, you will likely have to wait until Thursday to see readings reach positive territory again.

As you can imagine, the overnight readings will be potentially dangerous. Lows will fall to negative 30 degrees over the weekend and into the early part of next week in Minot. The silver lining is that other than a few snow showers on Saturday, this part of the region will remain dry during this stretch of cold conditions.

Temperatures will be more tolerable but still unseasonably cold in places to the south. Kansas City is forecast to see highs in the mid 30s on Saturday tumble into the upper teens on Sunday and Monday. Highs on Tuesday and Wednesday will max out at about 8 degrees in Kansas City. While it is still too early to predict with precision, this part of the Plains states may also see another shot of wintry precipitation before the warming trend begins later next week. The greatest chance for meaningful snow in Kansas City will be on Tuesday.

Moving to the east, the wave of cold air will not arrive in places such as Indianapolis until the start of next week. After seeing highs reach the freezing mark on Sunday, the metro area will see the readings slip into the upper teens for highs on Monday and Tuesday. This part of the Midwest will also see the chance of snow to close out the weekend, another weather factor to be watching out for.

The Great Lakes will begin to see the noticeably colder temperatures by Monday. Chicago will fall from highs in the mid 30s on Saturday to the upper 20s by Sunday and the high single digits by Monday. The latest forecasts models demonstrate that Monday will be the coldest day of this stretch for Chicago with the mercury expected to begin to rebound on Tuesday.

This zone of cold air will dip as far south as Florida by next week. For instance, after experiencing toasty readings in the mid 80s on Sunday, the temperature will top out with a high of about 67 degrees on Monday in Orlando.

It will be even chillier in the Florida Panhandle. Pensacola is bracing for a high of 57 degrees on Monday despite sunny skies. Winds out of the north-northeast at 10 to 15 mph will amplify the chill in the air.

Those tired of the cold can take solace in knowing that spring truly is right around the corner. It just might take its time getting here.

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