First frost of the fall? Cold front to drop temperatures in parts of US
A cold front is forecast to stretch across much of the central and eastern U.S. this week, likely bringing the first frost of the fall season to some areas as it drops temperatures in Florida and relieves Texas from record-breaking heat.
Freeze and winter storm watches were in place across the Plains and Midwest regions Monday as forecasters predicted subfreezing temperatures in multiple states, including the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.
In the Northeast, the high-pressure system will bring rain and snow showers across the the Adirondacks, central Appalachians and northern New England ranges, according to the National Weather Service. Federal forecasters say snowfall is most likely in higher elevations of northern New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Meanwhile, daily high temperatures throughout the central and eastern U.S. will drop to the 50s and 60s, including in Washington, New York City and Boston, according to the Weather Prediction Center. Widespread low temperatures will dip below average for this time of year, reaching the 30s in many portions of the eastern U.S. and creating the potential for frost or freeze.
By Wednesday, daily high temperatures in northern and central Florida are expected to drop from the high 80s to the high 60s and 70s, bringing relief to the state as hundreds of thousands remain without power after Hurricane Milton barreled across the peninsula last week. By the weekend, afternoon highs will return to the 80s.
In Texas, the cold front will alleviate a stretch of sweltering heat. On Monday and Tuesday, the weather service says the state will experience summer-like temperatures as high as the mid-90s, which could break a few daily high temperature records, including for cities such as Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
The state has experienced record-breaking heat in recent days. On Sunday, the afternoon high at Camp Mabry in Austin hit 101 degrees, the warmest October temperature ever at this location, according to the weather service. Del Rio, on the border, hit 99 degrees, breaking a 114-year-old record. On Thursday, El Paso reached an afternoon high of 93 degrees, breaking the record 91 degrees set in 2020.
As the cold front reaches Texas on Wednesday, it will drop daily high temperatures into the high 60s and 70s before they slowly climb through the weekend, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
In the West, cooler air this week will relieve a bout of heat. Widespread daily high temperatures in the 80s and high 70s – in Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Nevada – will drop as low as the 40s and 50s toward the end of the week.