Arctic air has returned and will last into next week

Arctic air has returned to parts of the Midwest and Northeast and will last into next week. The Southwest is experiencing a surge of warmer temperatures. The spring-like temperatures have come to an end in the East and this return back to winter will last into next week. Temperatures could be up to 40 degrees colder in some areas, compared to earlier this week.

Pattern this weekend will feature a southward dip in the jet stream in the East, with an upper-level ridge in the West. The chilly conditions originated in the Arctic, and this air mass brought record-cold temperatures to parts of Canada and Alaska. An all-time record low of 66 degrees Fahrenheit below zero was set on March 4 in Mould Bay, located at a latitude of 76°N and is the westernmost area of Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Islands.

Cooler temperatures began to invade the northern tier Thursday, with below-average highs stretching from Montana and North Dakota into northern Minnesota. The cold conditions pushed farther east and south on Friday and will encompass most of the Plains, Midwest and East this weekend.

Colder-than-average temperatures will prevail from eastern Montana through the Midwest into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Saturday. Highs on Saturday will not reach 32 degrees for much of the Northeast and Midwest.

Record-cold high temperatures are possible on Saturday in the Northeast, including (current record in parentheses): Burlington, Vermont (14 degrees); Syracuse, New York (18 degrees); Bangor, Maine (22 degrees); Portland, Maine (23 degrees); Scranton, Pennsylvania (23 degrees); and New York City (28 degrees)

Wind chills well below zero are possible, especially in the interior Northeast. Wind chill warnings and advisories have been issued for parts of upstate New York and parts of New England into Sunday morning for wind chills as low as 40 degrees below zero.

Highs on Sunday will not be quite as chilly as Saturday, but will remain colder than average from the northern Plains to the East Coast. However, on Sunday morning, lows will be up to 25 degrees colder than average in New England and upstate New York. This translates into temperatures plummeting into the single digits for most areas. Lows in the teens may reach as far south as Cincinnati, with temperatures dropping below freezing into Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. (Weather.com)