The latest southwest to northeast-bound system delivers the latest burst of moderate to heavy snow ahead of a fresh surge of bitter arctic air which produced the coldest temperature in Oklahoma City since February 2011. It was somewhat of a headache trying to commute into work this morning up and down the I-95 corridor from DC to New York with transportation severely disrupted as 1-3 inches fell widely in a short space of time turning highways and even the main interstate white and slick very fast.

New daily snowfall records at #NYC Via NWS (1.4″ old 1.3″ 1932), JFK (2.0″ old 0.4″ 1961), EWR (2.2″ old 1.3″ 1961), and ISP (old of Trace in 2010).

Here was the radar from earlier today as the heavy snows came down over the Mid-Atlantic.

As you can see from the below radar, the snow has exited the DC to New York corridor and now pushing up through Connecticut and Massachusetts

The below snow analysis chart shows the latest snow cover across the country, that large and highly reflective surface means minimal weakening of the next surge of cold air for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Chicago found out the power of arctic air running over freshly laid snow last night as the thermometer at O’Hare plummeted to -6. That -6 is the first sub 0 low before December 10 since 1995 and the coldest temperature so early, since 1978 when a temperature of -8 was recorded. Chicago’s west suburban Aurora/Sugar Grove dropped to a frigid -13 while Rockford hit -9, the first December sub-0 low since 2008. It’s also Rockford’s coldest for the first 10 days since a -12 back in 1978 and the coldest reading overall since February 2011.

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Check out this stunning view of suburban Chicago from WeatherBug.

The bitter cold air mass now drifting down over the Great Lakes which will kick off the lake-effect snow machine, will decent and sit directly over the Northeast later Wednesday and Thursday. Expect highs tomorrow to hover between 28-33 from DC to Boston but by Thursday following a very cold night in the 10s, expect temperatures to really struggle to get much above 22-24 from DC to Boston.

Check out the GFS thickness values during Thursday.

Chicago gets another little snow system tonight and so temperatures hold in the low 10s but once that system is out of the region and skies clear over the reflective snow pack, expect lows tomorrow night to really plummet.

Thursday’s highs.

Another Snow Event For Northeast This Weekend?

All eyes on the next system which takes a similar path to today’s, this weekend… Here’s the latest GFS surface.

96 hrs

114 hrs

132 hrs

Will show model snow projections in tomorrow’s post, Stay tuned…

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Tags: arctic blast, cold, record cold, snow, snowstorm, US record cold