Chilly air to zap warmth in Midwest, Northeast US

The midwestern and northeastern United States will see a shocking temperature swing this week before a several day stretch of chilly conditions settles in.

Temperatures started out the week in the 60s and 70s F from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., Boston and Burlington, Vermont, after ending this past weekend in a similar fashion across the Midwest.

Following rain sweeping across the Northeast Tuesday, temperatures on Wednesday will be trimmed by 10-20 degrees from their early-week peak.

Since the air behind the rain is of Pacific origin, highs are likely to remain a few degrees above average at midweek, generally in the 40s and 50s.

Mild air will surge northward yet again into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic late in the week ahead of an advancing storm system.

Temperatures are likely to take a more significant hit behind this storm when compared to the plunge at midweek.

Another round of rain will sweep through the Northeast on Friday along the leading edge of the cold push, and rain may change to snow across the far northern tier. Gusty, locally damaging winds are also likely to accompany the big swing in temperatures.

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"A more substantial burst of cold air is likely to pivot across the Great Lakes, central Appalachians and New England with below-average temperatures by this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

The cold will grip Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit on Friday and Saturday with high temperatures ranging from the middle 30s to middle 40s, about 4-8 degrees below average for the middle of March.

The air will moderate a bit as it travels eastward, with temperatures returning to within a few degrees of average, in the middle 40s to near 50, from Boston to New York City and Pittsburgh this weekend.

"While the coastal areas the mid-Atlantic will also cool down this weekend, the effects may not be as intense," Sosnowski said.

However, considering just how warm it was at the start of the week, Northeasterners may be pulling out more layers than they might require otherwise before heading outside this weekend.

A gusty breeze will add to the shock value of the chill, dropping AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures into the teens and 20s across the northern tier for at least the first half of Saturday.

Northern New England will bear the brunt of the cold this weekend, with high temperatures forecast to be no better than the 20s on Sunday with lows dipping below zero.

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