Arctic Blast Brings First Freeze, Record Cold to Parts of the East

An arctic blast arrived during the weekend with the first freeze of the season for many, and record low temperatures felt by many as well.

High temperatures early last week were above average from the Northeast to the South. Savannah, Georgia, set a record high of 90 degrees on Monday, which was the latest 90 degree temperature recorded there (the previous record was October 21). Record high temperatures were also tied last Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, (84), Tuscaloosa, Alabama, (85) and Alma, Georgia (89).

Last Tuesday, record high temperatures were set once again, including Rochester, New York, (80),Morgantown, West Virginia, (79), New Bern, North Carolina, (86) and Youngstown, Ohio (77).

That warmth quickly came to an end, and the areas that saw record highs on Monday and Tuesday saw temperatures nosedive.  In Columbia, SC, after making it to 87 last Tuesday, they were greeted by their earliest measurable snowfall on record Saturday morning.  

(MORE: Expert Analysis | Winter Storm Central)

It felt chilly and raw from the Midwest into the Southeast and it was very windy behind the cold front, too. Wind gusts of 40-60 mph were strong enough to cause some power outages and tree damage along the east coast.

Record lows were set Saturday morning in Springfield, Missouri (22) and tied in St. Joseph, Missouri (20). Twenties were felt as far south as northeast Oklahoma and northern Arkansas, while lows in the 30s were seen as far south as Mobile, Alabama, Slidell, Louisiana, and parts of the western Florida Panhandle.

Afternoon temperatures Saturday plunged or held in the 40s in much of the Tennessee Valley, and as far south as the Lowcountry of South Carolina. The strong north to northwest winds made it feel even colder.

It was even colder Sunday morning in the Southeast.

Record low temperatures were set in Florida on Sunday, including Daytona Beach (41), Melbourne (44), and Vero Beach (41) to name a few.  Toledo, OH tied their record low Sunday morning, making it to 22.

http://www.weather.com/sports-rec/below-zero/first-freeze-record-cold-20141029