By AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct. 16, 2020 7:18 AM | Updated Oct. 16, 2020 2:32 PM
Temperatures tumbled as a preview of winter weather began moving in Friday, leaving some areas like Houghton, Michigan, home to Michigan Technological University and located in the Upper Peninsula of the state, looking like a winter wonderland -- and forecasters say that over the weekend snow could fall across several states.
After residents of many cities in the north-central United States basked in temperatures well above normal to start the month, a snap back to reality occurred on Thursday. In many locations, temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees lower as compared to Wednesday. This meant temperatures went from near normal to well below normal.
The cold will lay the groundworks for some wintry precipitation that may make some scratch their heads and wonder what season it is anyway. An area of low pressure diving out of western Canada was unleashing rain and snow showers on parts of the north-central U.S. on Friday. By Friday night, as colder air plunges southward, the rain will mix with and change to snow across more of the region.
An image taken from a webcam in Houghton, Mich., showed the area looking like a winter wonderland as snow moved in on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. (Twitter / MTU.EDU)
"Snow across the U.S. will begin Friday night across western Montana into northern Wyoming as cold air surges down the east slopes of the Canadian Rockies into the western High Plains," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike LeSeney.
Although some areas had snow back in September, that wintry blast was largely confined to the higher elevations. This time, larger cities such as Glasgow and Great Falls, Montana, are in line for their first snowflakes of the season. Not only will the first snow be seen, but that snow is also likely to accumulate.
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The snow is expected to expand eastward into northern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota on Friday night. Early risers in parts of Minnesota on Friday posted videos on social media of snowflakes falling -- the season's first -- and a dusting of accumulation in some spots.
Locations like Minot, North Dakota, may also see the first snowflakes and accumulation of the season. It will likely take until Saturday for snow to accumulate in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Snowflakes may even fly as far south as Fargo, North Dakota, but accumulation is not likely in that area. In any locations that do pick up accumulating snow, it may not melt quickly either.
"Regardless of where snow may fall, the unseasonable chill is certain to impact the northern Rockies, northern Plains and Upper Midwest for much of the upcoming week, especially during the first half of the week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. "Cities such as Fargo and Grand Forks will record several days in a row with highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s, which is more in line with these cities' temperatures in early November," he continued.
With highs normally in the 50s F across much of the region, temperatures will be 15-20 degrees below normal. Where snow accumulates, it is not out of the question for highs on one or two days to fail to get out of the 20s. Highs below 30 degrees are more common at the end of November or beginning of December.
Snow is expected to redevelop in Montana and northern Wyoming on Saturday as yet another disturbance will arrive across the region, as the first system is expected to lift into northern Michigan and southern Canada.
And the wintry hits will keep on coming, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. A third round of snow is likely to develop by Sunday night. It is not certain at this time how far east snow may fall by Monday, but many more cities could have their first snow early next week, especially if a storm system strengthens. The computer models that meteorologists use to help them to make forecasts do not agree on whether or not this will happen.
"As Pacific storms push across the Northwest and into the Great Plains, snow may continue to streak across the North Central states into the northern Great Lakes," LeSeney said, eluding to the possibility.
Some of the computer models depict a swath of snow from Chicago to just north of Detroit on Monday and Monday night. The average first accumulating snow is on Nov. 16 and Nov. 15 in Chicago and Detroit, respectively. However, both cities picked up their first accumulating snow on Oct. 12 back in 2006, so it is not unheard to have accumulating snow by the middle of October.
Late next week, Minneapolis, as well as Green Bay, Wisconsin, may be added to the snow list as yet another weather system is predicted to eject eastward from the Plains.
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