“Historic” Arctic Air will blow us away during the last days of winter

With the onset of spring just days away in the United States, a final flurry of wintry weather is expected to impact large swaths of the country.

Spring officially kicks off on Monday, but AccuWeather predicted Thursday that the preceding days would see a blast of cold Arctic air, drastically lowering temperatures across most of the country, starting in the central United States on Saturday. Throughout the weekend and into the early days of spring, the cold spell is expected to spread across most parts of the East following a storm over the Great Lakes region. Temperatures are also expected to drop as far south as southern Texas.

In parts of the Midwest and Northeast, the Arctic blast is expected to bring one of the most severe temperature drops of the season, comparable to similar chills around Christmas and early February. Chicago is expected to reach temperatures well below its historical average for this time of year, with temperatures over the weekend starting in the teens and struggling to pass freezing temperatures throughout the day. According to AccuWeather, the city’s average historic low is around 32 degrees Fahrenheit for this time of year.

New York City, meanwhile, will see lows around zero on Saturday and Sunday nights, with daytime temperatures expected to not exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Strong winds in the Great Lakes and central Appalachian regions are also expected to worsen conditions for many people throughout the weekend. Winds in these areas will typically reach speeds of 40 to 60 miles per hour, up to 70 mph near the shores of the Great Lakes. These gusts of wind could make the air 10 to 20 degrees colder than it actually is.

While not as frigid as expected further north, parts of the southern United States are also expected to experience unusually cold temperatures due to the Arctic blast, with some areas experiencing 25-50 degree departures from to their historical averages for this time of year. . Some regions could also break their daily low temperature records over the weekend.

“A strong area of ​​high pressure across the Central Plains will push unusually cold air far south into Texas and northern Mexico, setting the stage for cloudy and flooding conditions this weekend,” said explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty. “The daily high and record high low temperatures are subject to dispute and even broken in some cases.”

The effects of the Arctic blast are expected to be felt south from far west into New Mexico, across Texas and east to Atlanta and other parts of Georgia. Only Florida should be spared the cold.

Newsweek contacted the National Weather Service for comment.