Arctic blast in the northeast, potential for snow on Christmas Eve

As an Arctic blast hits the northeastern U.S. this weekend, a clipper system moving across the Great Lakes into the Northeast early next week could bring snow — and rain — for Christmas Eve.

It doesn’t look like a major snowstorm by any means, but there could be a few inches of fresh snow on the ground from Wisconsin to Maine by Christmas Eve.

For the major metropolitan areas along the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast, from New York to Boston, the chance of measurable snow is low, but not zero.

But there could be more in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan and New York state.

“There will be green and brown grass across much of the US on Christmas Day – not exactly what Bing Crosby was raving about!” the National Weather Service posted on the social platform

Arctic explosion

Meanwhile, an arctic plunge is moving into the Northeast this weekend as temperatures fall into the teens and single digits Saturday night into Sunday.

Wind chills could be below zero in inland areas and in the single digits even in large coastal cities.

It is the coldest air so far this season in the East and Northeast and follows icy and snowy conditions that have led to flight cancellations and delays.

At least 6 inches of snow fell in Fenway Park near Boston on Saturday night, while parts of western New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania saw 1 to 4 inches of snow.

MORE: Holiday travel: Christmas and New Year are the busiest times for flying and driving

1.8 inches of snow fell in New York City’s Central Park early Saturday, marking the first measurable snowfall of the season.

Temperatures behind this snow system dropped. Over the past 24 hours, temperatures fell 15 to 25 degrees in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin and 5 to 15 degrees in much of the Midwest. This rapid cooling will move eastward on Sunday.

This arctic air flows over the ice-free waters of the Great Lake, producing lake-effect snow only on Saturday in places like Syracuse, New York, where 3 to 5 inches of snow could accumulate.

Morning wind chills are expected to drop to the single digits or below zero across much of the Northeast Sunday and Monday morning. Boston will feel below zero.

High temperatures in New York City won’t reach the 20s until Sunday – something that hasn’t happened since mid-January 2024.

Temperatures are expected to “feel” as low as 20°C as far south as the Florida Panhandle.

Flight delays

As of 6:45 a.m. Saturday, 130 flights were canceled and 830 flights were delayed nationwide.

JetBlue Airlines is the leader in cancellations with 46 canceled flights, or 4% of scheduled flights. Ground stops and delays are expected to occur at airports throughout the day.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport imposed a ground stop Friday, suspending departures amid snow and ice, as airports across the country grappled with inclement weather.

The stop came as the clipper system that caused heavy snow and airport delays in the Upper Midwest on Thursday passed through the Illinois city on Friday morning.

As of 11:30 p.m. ET Friday, 9,376 flights were delayed nationwide. The day ended with 523 cancellations.

Southwest Airlines led the cancellations with 113 flights, or 2% of its scheduled flights. Airports in affected areas are expected to experience ground stops and delays throughout the night.

The hardest hit airports were San Diego International with 157 cancellations and Boston Logan International with 154 cancellations.

Arctic blast in Northeast, potential for snow on Christmas Eve originally appeared on abcnews.go.com