By Judson Jones, Annie Correal, Ed Shanahan and Alexandra E. Petri
A blast of cold air is settling into the East Coast of the United States this week, even as people across the Great Lakes region continue digging out from a dayslong round of lake-effect snow that snarled Thanksgiving travel.
Temperatures were expected to drop to below freezing in every state east of the Mississippi River early Tuesday, and a few places may even set daily records for low temperatures — a stark contrast to an unseasonably warm October and November. High temperatures will struggle to reach much higher through the day, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal. It is one of the first true blasts of cold for the Northeast, where fall has felt more like summer as recently as a few weeks ago — and temperatures later in the week may be even colder.
Although many places got a break from the heavy snow Monday, winter storm alerts were still in effect Monday afternoon for portions of southern Ontario, Canada, and parts of Michigan, far northern Indiana, northeastern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania, and western and northern New York.
This past weekend’s lake-effect snowstorm should start to wind down into Tuesday, but forecasters described it as more of a “regime change than a change in weather conditions.” An Alberta Clipper, a meteorological name given to winter storms that begin in Alberta, Canada, and quickly slide through the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States, is expected to move in. This transition from just lake-effect snow will bring a weather system that could affect a larger part of the region, including the higher elevations of the Northeast.
Alberta Clippers are common during winter and often have lighter snow amounts; however, like this storm, they bring stronger, gustier winds and colder air, potentially the most frigid air of the season so far. Although some snow amounts could be lighter, reduced visibility from blowing snow is possible.
Although the busy Thanksgiving travel was mostly over by the start of the week, forecasters said they expected travel to remain treacherous where the heaviest snow bands line up this week. In Michigan, at least one person was critically injured after a multivehicle collision that closed part of Interstate 94 near Hartford in Van Buren County on Monday afternoon, according to Michigan State Police. Police said the pileup had involved about 14 passenger vehicles and three semitrucks.
“Driving too fast for conditions believed to be a factor with heaving blowing snow producing whiteout conditions,” police said on social media.
In western New York, where just over 54 inches of snow had fallen in the past four days on tiny Cassadaga in Chautauqua County, local officials at about 10:30 a.m. Monday received reports a cattle barn collapsing in nearby Arkwright, said Justin Gould, a spokesperson for the county government.
Five cows out of about 100 kept in a barn died in the collapse, Gould said; one firefighter was injured in the effort to rescue the others. Because the barn is on a farm in a particularly remote area, the heavy snow had made it difficult for emergency services workers to get to the site, he added. A video posted online by a television meteorologist showed workers trying to clear snow off a second barn roof later in the day to avoid a second collapse.
The snow piled up to over 5 feet over the weekend in an area known for snowfall, commonly called the “snow belt.” Lake-effect snow occurs when cold winds blow across an unfrozen and warm body of water, such as the Great Lakes, causing moisture to rise and fall as snow downwind. This snow belt is on the eastern and southeastern shores of the Great Lakes, including Canada, where lake-effect snow generates, on average, more than 50% of the annual snowfall for this region.
Chilly start to the holiday season in New York City
Tourists and New Yorkers alike bundled up in winter coats while walking through Columbus Circle, some stopping for hot chocolate at a food cart. Along Central Park South about a dozen horse carriages sat empty.
At the Columbus Circle Holiday Market, vendors hidden behind thick scarves and down trapper hats sawed plywood, drilled structural wood and hung lights and heaters as they built their stalls before the opening Tuesday.
Geri Schmitt and Jack Morgani walked hand-in-hand through the construction Monday evening. The Brooklyn couple layered up to celebrate the anniversary of their engagement 30 years ago at Tavern on the Green.
“We didn’t wear the dressiest of outfits for the 30th anniversary,” Schmitt, 55, joked, adding that Morgani brought out his ski coat for the first time this season.
More snow and more cold are on the way.
After a brief warm-up Wednesday, the weather pattern will drop temperatures back 10 to 15 degrees below normal as another blast of arctic air sweeps across the eastern United States. This could mean snow in the Northeast, more lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes, and freezing overnight temperatures back through the South.
In New York City, where it has remained mostly dry since the cold, rainy Thanksgiving Day, the next storm could bring a mix of rain and possibly some snow Wednesday night into Thursday. After the moisture is gone, the city could see high temperatures Friday and Saturday only in the 30s. The blustery conditions could make it feel even colder.
By Friday, some in the region may see at least some reprieve from the active weather, but another quick-moving storm could threaten the region again this weekend.
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