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

An arctic blast has arrived this weekend with the first freeze of the season for many, and record low temperatures are possible as well.

High temperatures early this 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 on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, (84), Tuscaloosa, Alabama, (85) and Alma, Georgia (89).
On 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).
The warmth of earlier this week is coming to an end, and the areas that saw record highs on Monday and Tuesday have seen temperatures nosedive.

It will feel chilly and raw from the Midwest into the Southeast and it will be windy behind the cold front, too. Wind gusts could be strong enough to cause some power outages and tree damage.

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 will be even colder Sunday morning in the Southeast. Another widespread freeze is likely, as diminishing winds and clear skies settle in behind the cold front, from central Mississippi, Alabama to the piedmont of the Carolinas.
Record low temperatures are in jeopardy in Florida on Sunday, including Miami (54), Orlando (46), West Palm Beach (51) and Fort Myers (49). Other records will be approached in parts of the Buckeye State, including Cincinnati (23) and Toledo, Ohio (22).

Temperatures will begin to moderate on Monday, but the day will start off chilly from the Northeast to the Southeast where lows will generally be in the 30s. This quick shot of winter will just be a memory for most of the East by Tuesday.