Unseasonably early Arctic cold to retreat from much of central, eastern US

Much of the central and eastern United States will get a break from the harsh cold that made an unseasonably early visit prior to the middle of November.

A direct flow of Arctic air across central Canada and into the central and eastern U.S. had persisted last week, allowing many record-low temperatures to fall.

"While a southward dip in the jet stream will persist in the East, the pipeline of Arctic air will be severed most of the time through the weekend before Thanksgiving and perhaps through the end of November," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

However, there will be a couple of exceptions.

A brief burst of Arctic air will bust loose from the upper Great Lakes and into the Northeast through Sunday.

While this air is not expected to arrive with nearly the force and intensity of the blast from last week, it will reinforce the cold weather a bit. The dryness associated with the air will inhibit moisture associated with a storm from the Atlantic Ocean from spilling westward, but only through Sunday. The storm offshore will also create cold winds near the coast.

Later Monday and Tuesday, low-level cold air will be around to allow a wintry mix to develop over the interior Northeast as another storm swipes farther north across the region.

Elsewhere, above-average temperatures are forecast for much of the Central states through the week as an air mass originating over the northern Pacific Ocean will gain some warmth traveling downhill from the Rockies.

Some of this modified marine air will filter into the East during the middle and latter part of the week so that temperatures trend back to more typical levels for November or at least within a few degrees of average.

Temperature departures from average have ranged from 15-30 degrees Fahrenheit below normal last week while morning low temperatures plunged into the single digits and below zero in parts of the Plains and Midwest.

Above-average temperatures in the Central states and near-average temperatures in the East should feel much better for those who mind the cold weather so early.

Another fresh dose of Arctic air may take a path from the upper Great Lakes and into the Northeast late this week to early next weekend prior to Thanksgiving.

As this air passes over the Great Lakes, it may set off flurries and locally heavy snow squalls. AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor that potential as Thanksgiving holiday travel begins to ramp up during that time and the blinding, sudden nature of any squalls can make for dangerous conditions on the highways.

Otherwise, by the middle of this week, highs are forecast to range from the upper 30s over the northern tier of the Central states and the middle 30s over northern New England to the 70s along the Gulf Coast.

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