Bundle up & layer up New England! This week brings the coldest air of the season, with daytime highs in the single digits and teens for many areas and wind chills plummeting to 10–20 below zero in far northern New England . Join Danielle Noyes for your Tuesday morning Noyes’ Notes as she breaks down what to expect over the next 24 hours.
National Weather Summary
Arctic Cold and Southern Winter Storm Dominate Weather Headlines
An Arctic air mass entrenched across much of the country east of the Rockies is delivering dangerously cold conditions. Morning wind chills will be below -40°F across parts of the Upper Midwest, with sub-zero wind chills extending as far south as Texas and portions of the Gulf Coast. High temperatures in the single digits and teens will dominate the northern tier, while the southern U.S. struggles to reach the 30s and 40s, except for Florida.
A rare winter storm is underway along the Gulf Coast. Heavy snow is forecast for parts of southeast Texas and southern Louisiana, with accumulations of 4 to 6 inches in some areas. The snow zone extends eastward into the Florida Panhandle, where snow totals will taper off. A mix of sleet and freezing rain will impact areas farther south, including parts of southern Georgia and northern Florida, where ice accumulations could lead to hazardous travel conditions and scattered power outages.
Farther north, persistent northwest flow across the Great Lakes will drive lake-effect snow bands, with locally heavy accumulations downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario. The West Coast remains largely dry, though dangerous fire weather persists across southern California. Elsewhere, the weather is relatively calm, with Arctic air dominating most of the eastern two-thirds of the nation.
Northeast Weather Story
Bitter Cold Persists with Lake-Effect Snow Near the Great Lakes
Arctic air remains firmly in place over the Northeast, resulting in dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills across the region. Morning lows will range from -10°F to 5°F in the interior, with coastal areas slightly warmer in the teens. Wind chills will drop to -20°F or lower in parts of northern New York, Vermont, and northern New Hampshire. A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect for several interior and higher-elevation locations through Wednesday morning.
Lake-effect snow is ongoing across parts of western and northern New York, where 2 to 6 inches of snow is possible in the favored snowbelt areas. The Tug Hill Plateau could see localized totals exceeding a foot, with snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour in the most intense bands. Snow showers may occasionally reach central New York and northern Vermont but are expected to be light.
Despite the cold, Tuesday will feature sunshine in most locations outside the lake-effect zones. Highs will remain well below freezing, with single digits in the Adirondacks and northern Vermont and teens to low 20s closer to the coast. The bitter cold will persist into Tuesday night, with lows again dropping below zero in the interior and into the single digits along the coastline.
Residents should dress warmly, limit outdoor activities, and take precautions against frostbite and hypothermia. Travel may be hazardous in lake-effect snow areas due to rapidly changing visibility and snow-covered roads.