Milder weekend ahead for Northeast following spring snowfall

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Updated Apr. 18, 2020 6:16 AM

Forecasters say winter's recent return to the Northeast may not have been its final visit of the spring, despite a comeback of milder air this weekend.

A storm that dumped record snowfall across part of the Rockies and central Plains Wednesday into Thursday tracked into the Northeast at the end of the week.

The storm unloaded a narrow swath of 1-3 inches of snow across northern and central Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York on Friday, with local amounts of 3-6 inches.

Flowers are seen covered in snow in Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, on Friday, April 17, 2020. (Twitter/Krissy Pydynowski)

Rain and snow will sweep off the coast by early Saturday afternoon, but not before Boston picks up a few inches of snow, mainly on non-paved surfaces.

Saturday will be chilly in the region in the immediate wake of the storm, especially where there is snow on the ground that must first melt.

Sunday is shaping up to be a much warmer day with high temperatures expected to be at seasonable levels in the 50s and 60s F throughout the region.

Residents may finally be able to give heaters a break and even open up the windows to let in fresh air during Sunday afternoon.

"The mild air and sunshine will cause much of and perhaps all of the snow to melt during the daytime hours," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

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Showers expected to arrive in the eastern Great Lakes Sunday afternoon will mark the arrival of slightly cooler air pressing southward. On Monday, high temperatures will be shaved a few degrees from Sunday's levels.

"A reinforcing burst of Arctic air, courtesy of the polar vortex, will follow for early next week," Sosnowski said.

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This Arctic invasion is likely to be accompanied by gusty winds, rain and snow showers and perhaps heavier squalls Tuesday into Wednesday of next week.

AccuWeather long-range meteorologists expect this cold surge to be fleeting as the polar vortex is forecast to retreat northward late next week, allowing milder air to surge back into the Northeast.

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