Another shot of weekend snow in the Northeast is giving way to a potentially problematic warming trend next week

Areas of the country recently affected by an Arctic blast will experience warming starting this weekend, leading to temperatures above average or above in the coming days.

The warmer air is expected to arrive on Sunday and spread through the first few days of the coming work week.

In both Chicago and New York, temperatures are expected to climb into the 40s and 50s, and in Buffalo, temperatures are expected to finally climb above freezing and stay there by the final day of the weekend.

“We’re almost completely flipping the script as we start the new week,” said FOX weather meteorologist Jane Minar.

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Instead of more than 200 million people experiencing below-average temperatures like during the Arctic crisis, more than 200 million will benefit from warmer air.

Another shot of light snow initially covers parts of New York and New England this weekend

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Before the warm air arrives, another clipper system will move through New York and New England on Saturday, bringing smaller accumulations of snow around Buffalo, Syracuse and Boston, with potentially larger amounts of snow in higher terrain.

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Winter storm and lake effect snow warnings remain in effect for parts of western New York east of Lake Erie and Ontario through Saturday, with up to 5 to 8 inches of new snow in the higher elevations – even more around Tug Hill.

But milder temperatures in the wake of the system mean any precipitation that falls will transition from snow to rain starting Saturday evening and continuing into the work week.

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A sudden shift in air masses could cause problems

While the warmer air is pleasant for most, it could potentially cause problems, especially in communities protected from snowdrifts.

“Two days ago I remember the 50 mile per hour wind gusts and wind chills that were not only in the single digits but below zero. Now Minneapolis will be in the mid-40s,” said FOX weather meteorologist Ian Oliver.

The FOX Forecast Center warns that the combination of above-average temperatures and precipitation will lead to isolated flooding late in the weekend and early in the week, particularly around major lake-effect snowdrifts in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

Meteorologists in these areas are already warning of the potential risk of flooding, but currently the impacts are not considered widespread enough to warrant issuing flood warnings before melting.

There is also the question of how much staying power the warm air actually has, as forecast models show another Arctic plunge from mid to late in the week.

Similar to the recent cold, warm water temperatures are expected to reinvigorate the lake-effect snow machine, particularly for communities downwind of the Great Lakes.

Even though the snowpack may melt, not everything will likely be gone when heavy snowfall is forecast again.

US snowpack on December 6, 2024

According to a recent NOAA snowfall analysis, 21.5% of the country was covered in snow, which is expected to decrease rapidly in the coming days but not approach zero.

This means that some areas will likely see snow on the ground for most of the month, if not the entire season.

The snowpack is much larger than last year, when only 15.1% of the country was covered in snow, and is on par with 2022, when 24.3% of the country was covered in frozen precipitation.

HOW SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE LOSS OF ARCTIC SEA ICE WILL AFFECT US WEATHER

Melting ice sheets will likely occur across the Midwest, increasing dangers for those venturing out on lakes.

Already in 2024, several people have died in the northern part of the country after venturing onto ice that was too thin.

Every year, experts advise the public never to walk on ice of unknown thickness.

If the ice is less than 10cm deep, you should stay away from it.

(National Weather Service / FOX Weather)

To adequately support a person’s weight, a layer of ice of at least 10 cm is required, and at least 20 cm is recommended before attempting to drive a small vehicle on it.

Ice cover typically peaks around mid-February, but varies depending on winter climate conditions.