Brutal cold gripping the Midwest this weekend will sweep into the East to start the new week, ushered in by snow and localized squalls in the Northeast.

The new arctic blast will be the harshest the Midwest and East has experienced so far this season. According to AccuWeather Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, "The arctic deep freeze will last two to three days in most places."

Parts of eastern North Dakota, Minnesota and northeastern Iowa will not see temperatures climb above zero until Tuesday, making for a total of 72 hours of subzero readings since the weekend started.

Temperatures will dangerously drop under 10 below zero F Sunday and Monday nights in and around Minnesota with some communities near the Canadian border registering lows under 20 below zero F.

AccuWeather RealFeel temperatures will be life-threatening if people venture out without being properly dressed from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
Cold outbreak
The cold will not be as brutal when the arctic air grips the eastern U.S. early this week, but will still hold temperatures 10-20 degrees below normal Monday into Tuesday.

Subfreezing highs and biting winds will encompass the Northeast and mid-Atlantic both Monday and Tuesday, a stretch the I-95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic has not dealt with yet this winter.

"Washington, D.C., has not had a day during which temperatures stayed below freezing all day [so far this season]," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said. "However, the city will have two such days Monday and Tuesday."
Frigid map
The winds will create significantly lower RealFeel temperatures in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which will bottom out down to or below zero to the I-95 corridor Tuesday morning.

"Residents in the Southeast will also be shivering from this arctic blast," Samuhel said. "In Raleigh, North Carolina, temperatures on Monday will be struggling to reach the mid-30s with a gusty winds making it feel closer to 20 F much of the day."

On Tuesday, highs will barely rise to near 50 F in Jacksonville, Florida.
Cold map
Highs in the Southeast in mid-January typically range from the lower 50s around Raleigh to the mid-60s in Jacksonville.

"The cold air will blast through parts of Florida recently affected by severe weather," said Samuhel. "Interior parts of South Florida will flirt with the upper 30s Monday night." Similar temperatures will follow for Tuesday night.

However, freezing nighttime temperatures will remain north of the major citrus areas.

Snow, localized squalls to precede arctic blast in Northeast, mid-Atlantic

Before the arctic air invades the East, parts of the Northeast will receive snow into the start of the new week.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson, "As the leading edge of the arctic air races southeastward, flurries and highly localized bursts of snow can occur."
Arctic front
The snow showers and localized squalls will press eastward to West Virginia, northern and western Pennsylvania and western New England Sunday night.

The bursts of snow and sudden drop in visibility can catch motorists cruising along on the highways by surprise. Roads can go from dry to wet and then snow-covered in a matter of minutes, including on stretches of interstates 70, 79, 80, 81, 86, 87, 90 and 99.

Snow squalls have been responsible for multi-vehicle pileups in the past. Motorists are urged to allow extra stopping distance between the preceding vehicle.

Ahead of the arctic blast, another storm system is causing the weekend to end with snow grazing New Jersey and the southern New England coast.

A coating of snow gave New York City its first measurable snowfall of the season late Sunday. An inch or two will further whiten the New Jersey coast and eastern Long Island.

Roads will mainly stay wet. Slick spots may develop, mainly on bridges and overpasses as the snow is falling. Other lingering wet areas in the mid-Atlantic may turn icy into Sunday night as temperatures drop below freezing.

As the storm system from the southern mid-Atlantic passes by to the southeast and the arctic air arrives, a band of snow will develop from eastern Massachusetts to southern Maine Sunday night into Monday morning. This includes Boston and Portland, Maine. A total of 1-3 inches will accumulate and create slick travel for the morning commute.
Snow map
When the arctic air settles over the East during the rest of Monday and Tuesday, most of the snow will be confined to places downwind of the Great Lakes and the northern Appalachians. Significant lake-effect snowfall is expected.

The harsh cold will ease across the Midwest and East beginning at midweek. However, enough cold will be in place for snow to spread from the central Plains to the Ohio Valley Tuesday into Wednesday.

While this snow will likely fizzle east of the Appalachian Mountains, another storm will have to be monitored for the possibility of turning into a snowstorm for the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast as the new weekend approaches.

Content contributed by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.