Week Ahead: Duo of Cold Fronts Sweep East

Cold Front Combo this Week

We are watching a set of cold fronts that will sweep across the central and eastern states this week.

For some cities east of the Mississippi, the first front will make for a stormy start to the week. 

Late in the week, a second, stronger cold front, more typical of what we might see in early fall, will arrive with below-average temperatures plunging across the Midwest.

We've got the details next, beginning with a look at the storms in the East to start the week.

Storms Spread East Early Week

The first cold front may be a hassle for those starting their work week in the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and lower-Mississippi Valley. These regions may have to dodge showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.

(CITIES: Chicago | Indianapolis | Memphis)

In fact, some severe thunderstorms will be possible from the lower-Ohio Valley into the lower-Mississippi Valley. You can see the areas at risk on our Severe Weather Tracker page. In addition to damaging winds and hail, an isolated tornado threat also exists.

The front continues east on Tuesday, bringing a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms from the Northeast into the Southeast. Depending on how fast the front pushes east, some storms may move into the I-95 corridor, which could result in airport delays.

(CITIES: Buffalo | Pittsburgh | Atlanta)

After Wednesday, we shift our focus to a much more potent cold front for late week.

Cool, Canadian Air Blast Late Week

Our second cold front of the week will make its entrance into the Dakotas and Montana on Wednesday. From there, the front will spread a blast of cooler air across all of the Midwest by Friday with highs 5 to 15 degrees below average dominating the region.

(CITIES: Chicago | Minneapolis | St. Louis)

Temperatures may not get out of the 60s in much of the Upper Midwest. Parts of the northern Great Lakes may struggle to get out of the 50s.

(DAY-BY-DAY: Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat)

The cooler air mass will even be felt in the scorched Southern Plains, where afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s can be considered heat relief at this point.

In addition to the cooler temperatures, showers and thunderstorms, some possibly severe, will precede the boundary each day as it makes its way from the Upper Midwest Wednesday to the East Coast by Saturday.

(RAIN FORECAST: Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat)