Spring Cold Front Brings Frost Conditions to Northeast

Second of Pair of Cold Air Masses From Canada Making it Down to U.S.

Forecasters began warning last week about the possibility of two cold air masses dipping down from Canada and damaging vulnerable plants and agricultural interests in the Upper Midwest and the Northeast.

The first of these surges of cold air arrived over the weekend, sending the temperatures into the low 20s for portions of northern Michigan and the northern half of New York state.

The mercury hovered in the upper 20s on Monday throughout southern Michigan, northern Ohio, central parts of Pennsylvania, central and southern New York, and across into the central and northern portions of New England.

The next influx of freezing temperatures are set to make a run into the area by late Wednesday. The blast of cold air originated in northern Canada and is expected to continue its journey to the south through the end of the week.

This weather pattern will bring the chance of late-season snow to the northern reaches of the U.S. while also ushering in the threat of a damaging freeze or frost to a larger region.

You can expect the cold air to arrive late Wednesday and to stick around through Friday.

How cold will it get?

Forecasters are predicting widespread overnight lows to plunge into the low 30s and 20s for a large portion of the Great Lakes and into the central Appalachians. These chilly temperatures will spread into the interior mid-Atlantic and up through the bulk of New England early Thursday.

The communities located closer to the shores of the Great Lakes will trend a bit warmer than the interior locations. This is because the warmer water of the lakes work to heat the air around them.

For instance, Erie, Pennsylvania will stop short of dropping to the freezing mark even on the coldest night this week.

Urban Heat Likely to Protect Large East Coast Cities

The heat that is generated in large metropolitan areas will also likely prevent the risk of a hard freeze from hitting some of the biggest cities in the region.

For example, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C. are not expected to have to grapple with the impacts of a hard freeze. However, all of these cities will be under the threat of a frost early Thursday and again on early Friday.

Frost will also be a concern for Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland on Thursday morning. A slight uptick in the mercury heading into the overnight hours Thursday and into Friday will likely mitigate the chance of a frost in this region.

That said, the central Appalachians and up through New England will once again see the chance of a frost or freeze early Friday.

It is also important to note that forecast low temperatures typically measure the readings at about 4 to 6 feet above the ground. The mercury could fall as much as 10 degrees lower at ground level when compared to the official readings.

This means that you need to subtract a few more degrees from the forecast low if you are trying to determine how cold it will be at the ground level where plants and flowers are growing.

The leading edge of the cold air mass will bring in a bit of moisture that could translate to snow over the higher terrains of the Northeast late Tuesday and into Wednesday.

For instance, up to a few inches of snow is in the forecast for some portions of the Green and White Mountains and through the northern tier of Maine during this time period.

Rain and Snow Mixed Will Also be on Deck as Cold Front Advances

The moisture associated with the cold front could produce sporadic rain showers and thunderstorms for some areas of the Midwest on Tuesday afternoon and into the evening hours.

For instance, Indianapolis is forecast to pick up about a quarter of an inch of rain Tuesday afternoon and into the evening hours.

The rain will take a bit longer to crawl to the east and into cities such as Pittsburgh. The Steel City will see the rain chances pick up on Wednesday morning. Cloud cover will keep the temperatures suppressed in the upper 50s for a high before slipping back into the upper 30s after the sun goes down.

The threat of storms will shift to the east on Wednesday as the front advances, impacting some portions of the mid-Atlantic. While the risk of storms will not be widespread in nature, you will want to stay abreast of the potential of inclement weather if you live in this corner of the country.

Although meteorologists cannot say with certainty if this will be the last influx of cold Canadian air, it is getting to be the time of the year when the chances of late-season frost and freeze events drop dramatically.

Any cold air capable of causing damage will be highly localized and not as widespread as what the Upper Midwest and the Northeast has been dealing with this week.

How the Spring Cold Impacts Agricultural and Vegetation

Those with agricultural interests in the region will be ready to bid adieu to this cold air. Vineyard and orchard operators have been hard at work over the last few days to use wind machines and bonfires to provide a bit more warmth to the fields.

Part of the concern can be attributed to the warmer than average winter and start to the spring. The unseasonable winter warm up over the last few months resulted in an early bloom and leaf-out in many types of vegetation.

A plant is not as protected from the harsh impacts of a frost or freeze when the budding process has already started, putting more vegetation at risk in the coming days. Using a frost cover for plants or bringing at risk vegetation inside is essential.

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