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September has come and gone, so as we enter October and say goodbye to summer weather for good, it’s time to prepare ourselves for the cold months ahead.
Fall usually has a few nice days sprinkled in, along with some chilly days, but it looks like the cold weather will be starting sooner rather than later.
In fact, cold temperatures should be expected in the North Central states through the rest of the week and into next week. Buckle up, everybody!
According to AccuWeather, it will be getting down into the 20s, 30s, and 40s throughout a large part of the country starting today, October 1, and running through the weekend.
The first cold wave actually began on Monday, September 28, and traveled southeastward across the central United States.
While the cold weather isn’t expected to bring snow to these states, it may cause rain showers and windy conditions.
Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and Pittsburgh should expect a high temperature of about 50 degrees, with Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Nashville probably peaking at about 60 degrees.
The Great Lakes could experience a bit of rainfall, and even potentially a bit of snow, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
“With this blast of cold air, the first snowflakes of the season may fly across the Arrowhead of Minnesota into parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin, inland away from the shore of Lake Superior on Thursday into Friday,” he shared.
Despite the cold air, it shouldn’t get too gusty in the Great Lakes. Winds should average around 10 to 20 miles per hour.
Despite the cold weather this week into next week, this year’s winter should be very similar to last year’s.
In fact, Accuweather’s Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok revealed it’ll probably be a mild winter for much of the eastern United States.
However, the central part of the United States should prepare themselves for a white Christmas.
“There is a good chance for a white Christmas in Chicago, perhaps around 30-35% chance at this point,” Pastelok shared.
“For Pittsburgh, much of the lake-effect snow could fall north of the city and it may be tough to keep snow on the ground. But from this far out I give a 15-20% chance for a white Christmas in Pittsburgh, but, still, there is a chance.”
Grab your blankets and curl up by the fire, folks, because winter is certainly on its way!
