October in September? Polar blast set to freeze 250 million across Central, Eastern US

It's time to trade in your summer shirts for jackets. A lot of polar air is coming to the central and eastern United States next week. The blast will bring a sharp taste of October to millions, with daytime highs 10 to 20 degrees below normal. This will remind many that fall is coming.

How cold will it be in the U.S. as a whole?

Meteorologists say that a big bend in the jet stream will push cold air south toward the Great Lakes and beyond. Daytime highs are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below normal, and some places that are cloudy or rainy could be 30 degrees below normal, as per a report by AccuWeather.


In the northern Midwest and higher Appalachian elevations, highs might not even get into the 40s. Temperatures in the central Plains and Ohio Valley will be in the 50s and 60s, while temperatures in the southern Plains and Gulf Coast will be in the 70s and low 80s.

The nights will be even colder, with temperatures dropping into the 30s and 40s in the Midwest and Northeast and the 50s and 40s in some parts of the South, as per a report by AccuWeather.

Where will the chill be the strongest?

This cold snap will affect at least three-quarters of the people in the U.S. who live east of the Rockies. The Florida Peninsula, the Atlantic coast, and some of Texas may not feel the full force of the cold. In other parts of the country, even tough people from the Midwest and Northeast who didn't mind the cool weather before will be putting on sweaters and jackets.

The air may not reach the Atlantic coast until later in the week, and it may be preceded by heavy rains from a storm moving northeast. Still, it should get cooler and drier once the system moves out of the way, as per a report by AccuWeather.

What else can we expect from the weather?

This isn't a deep freeze in the middle of winter, but the sudden cold will still bring its own strange weather. Instead of snow squalls, you should expect clouds, cold rain, and even small hail-like pellets called graupel. The warm water in the lakes meeting the cold air could also cause waterspouts. On the Great Lakes, strong winds can make waves that are very dangerous, as per a report by AccuWeather.

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Even though the temperatures have dropped, widespread frost or freeze conditions are not likely because of the clouds and breezes that are still around. But frost could still form in some areas where the sky clears up at night, as per a report by AccuWeather.

The cold may ease by next weekend as the jet stream moves north and high pressure builds over the East. This could bring back summer-like warmth, with highs in the 80s and even close to 90 in some places.

FAQs

How much colder than usual will it be?
Highs are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit lower than normal, and some places may see temperatures up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit lower than normal for this time of year.

Which areas will not feel the cold?
The sharpest drop in temperatures is not expected to happen in most of Florida, central and southern Texas, or parts of the immediate Atlantic coast.