Powerful Arctic cold front to bring heavy snowfall, gusty winds and hazardous travel to Great Lakes and Northeast
A powerful Arctic cold front is set to bring hazardous travel conditions across the Great Lakes and northeastern United States, with heavy snow squalls, strong winds, and whiteout conditions expected from Wednesday through Thursday, December 4 through 5, 2024.
GFS 850 hPa temperature anomaly graphic for 18:00 UTC on December 5, 2024. Image credit: Tropical Tidbits, GFS
A powerful Arctic cold front is sweeping across the Great Lakes on Wednesday, December 4, moving into the Northeast by early Thursday, bringing a series of intense winter conditions. The cold front will create intense snow squalls, strong winds, and heavy lake-effect snow, significantly impacting the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Central Appalachians, and parts of the Northeast.
As the front moves eastward, snow squalls with brief, intense bursts of heavy snowfall are expected, accompanied by gusty winds, leading to dangerous travel conditions.
These squalls will create whiteout conditions and rapidly deteriorating road conditions from today through Thursday. Hazardous travel is particularly expected across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast, with whiteout visibility and icy roads likely to complicate commutes.
Strong winds, reaching up to 80 km/h (50 mph), will spread from the Northern Plains to the Great Lakes, continuing towards the Central Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast by Thursday. This may result in tree damage, power outages, and additional travel hazards.
As the system progresses, heavy lake-effect snow is forecasted for areas downwind of the Great Lakes, with snow accumulations of 30 – 60 cm (1 – 2 feet) expected in the lake-effect snow belts.
The Central Appalachians and parts of interior New England may also see significant snow, with totals up to 30 cm (1 foot) in higher elevations.
Blizzard-like conditions are possible in lake-effect snow regions and over parts of the Central Appalachians, further complicating travel through these areas.
Behind the front, an Arctic airmass will bring bitterly cold conditions, with high temperature anomalies of 11 – 17 °C (20 – 30 °F) below average, particularly across the Midwest and Central Appalachians on Thursday. Several low maximum temperature records are expected along the lower Ohio River Valley.
By Friday, the Arctic air will spread into the Gulf Coast and East Coast, with temperatures 6 – 14 °C (10 – 25 °F) below average across many areas.
Meanwhile, the western U.S. will continue to experience above-average temperatures through the weekend, influenced by a ridge of high pressure.
References:
1 Short Range Forecast Discussion – NWS/WPC – December 4, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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