Coldest air of the season to chill Northeast after brief weekend warmup

A weather battle zone will set up between warm sunshine and chilly rain this weekend in the Northeast, followed by a dramatic shift to November-like conditions.

As the autumn season progresses, conditions can become more dramatic in the Northeast, and the upcoming weather will bring quite a variety ranging from sunshine and warmth to cold rain, gusty winds and even some snow, AccuWeather meteorologists say.

The most recent burst of chilly air brought a covering of snow to the highest elevations of New England and a frost and freeze to parts of the central Appalachians this week.

Temperatures will rebound across the region into this weekend with some quick changes coming from one day to the next.

The weather will be pleasant in most areas on Saturday. However, a quick push of cooler air over the St. Lawrence Valley will set off spotty showers over part of northern New England. The rest of the region looks to be dry with milder conditions.

For many areas where the foliage is near peak, Saturday may be the better of the two weekend days for autumn leaf-peeping.

Farther west over the Mississippi Valley, a surge of heat has been going on since midweek and will try to expand eastward on Sunday. The expanding warmth will allow temperatures to climb well into the 80s over much of the eastern Ohio Valley, southern Appalachians and mid-Atlantic on Sunday.

However, the warmup may run out of steam farther north, with rain and temperatures in the 40s and 50s from parts of northern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and on into western New England.

A motorist traveling north or south on Sunday along Interstates 77, 79, 81, 99 or 87 may experience a temperature difference of 30-40 degrees in a matter of 50-100 miles.

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In keeping step with autumn's quick changes, an even colder blast of air will slice southeastward from central Canada, across the Great Lakes and through the coastal areas of the Northeast during the period from later Sunday to Monday.

The leading edge of the chilly air is likely to set off showers and thunderstorms. Some of the thunderstorms over the Ohio Valley to the West Virginia mountains can be locally robust if not severe.

It will look and feel more like the middle of November over much of the Northeast from Monday to Wednesday.

The most dramatic change in temperature will be felt where it gets the warmest on Sunday. By Monday, high temperatures from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic coast will be in the 50s to near 60, but in some of the mountains, highs may only be in the 40s on Monday.

Farther north, one chilly Sunday will be replaced with another. However, instead of light winds, rain and drizzle like Sunday, blustery conditions will build on Monday, with chilly rain showers becoming mixed with wet snow in some locations, especially from Michigan to the higher elevations of northern Pennsylvania and western, central and northern New York.

The overall blustery and chilly pattern will expand and intensify from Tuesday to Wednesday with bands of lake-effect showers mixed with snow in some areas over the interior. The snow showers can be persistent enough to bring a covering of snow to some locations, especially over the higher ground. In the mountains, temperatures may spike into the low 40s at times during the day but may spend a considerable amount of time in the 30s. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will dip into the 20s at times.

Even in most coastal areas, the upcoming pattern will bring the chilliest air of the season so far. Highs in New York City on Tuesday and Wednesday will be in the mid-50s, despite partial sunshine. Farther south, in Washington, D.C., highs on Tuesday and Wednesday will be close to 60. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in much of the Interstate 95 zone will be in the 40s but can dip into the 30s during the evening hours when the wind is still active.

The gusty winds will knock a considerable amount of leaves off the trees where colors have already peaked. Initially, gusty winds and cloud cover at night will tend to prevent a frost and freeze, but as the weather pattern progresses later next week, both may be possible when the sky clears and winds drop off at night.

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