Cold Front Could See Temperatures Plummet by 35 Degrees in These States

An early cold snap will see temperatures drop dramatically across the Midwest and into the southern states over the weekend, with temperatures expected to fall by as much as 35 degrees Fahrenheit from the Great Lakes to New York.

Meteorologists foresee the first weekend of October bringing a front of cool air from Canada down over northern central states. The National Weather Service is expecting the chance of frost and freeze hazards across the Dakotas, western Minnesota and eastern Montana, Nebraska, and as far south as Kansas and Colorado, from Friday into Saturday.

Federico Di Catarina, a former NWS forecaster and general manager for the meteorology site Weather & Radar U.S.A., wrote on Tuesday that Wisconsin and Iowa could be among the states to see below-freezing temperatures.

"This cold snap is not just a concern for those looking for their winter coats," he said. "There's a real concern about the crops and vegetation in the Midwest that haven't been harvested yet."

States including Texas and Louisiana are also forecast to see a steep decline in temperatures after a record-sweltering summer in what the agency's station in San Antonio described as "the most anticipated cold front in years."

However, before the mercury drops to lows of 51 degrees in Texas on Sunday, it said there would be "hot and muggy conditions, along with showers and thunderstorms," as well as the possibility for localized flooding in places as a primary front moves in before the cold northern air descends.

"The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes" in Texas and Oklahoma, the NWS said in a forecast discussion, while the northern Rockies could see scattered snow showers in higher elevations.

Modelling shows that temperatures could plummet to lows of 50 degrees in Louisiana on Sunday night, 43 and 44 degrees in northern Mississippi and Alabama respectively, as well as 37 degrees in northern parts of Georgia. The same areas are expected to see highs in the mid-eighties before the cold snap hits.

New York City is expected to see a high of 84 degrees on Wednesday but will tip into the forties by Monday lunchtime.

While the sudden cold front may prove challenging for farmers, for many it will be a welcome respite after a summer of heatwaves that have strained infrastructure, caused expansive wildfires, and led to droughts in parts of the South.

July was the warmest month on record for states including New Mexico and Arizona, where Phoenix saw a record 31 consecutive days of temperatures over 110 degrees.

Climate experts have warned that there will be more extreme weather events—including sweltering heat waves and harsh cold snaps—as climate change impacts weather patterns, making natural atmospheric fluctuations more volatile.