Chilly air is set to descend over nearly the entire contiguous U.S. next week, with the National Weather Service predicting high temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average for huge swaths of the nation.
Freeze warnings were in effect Saturday morning for millions of people in the South, from Texas to Alabama.
Later next week, snowstorms could hit the eastern half of the U.S. and affect 2,000 miles stretching from Texas to New York, according to an AccuWeather forecast. Snow already fell in the central northern U.S. earlier this week.
“With cold air already in place, there is little question as to whether or not there will be snow that extends over a long distance next week,” AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bauer said.
Several inches of snow are possible around the Great Lakes in northern Michigan, according to the Weather Service.
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With lingering cold air sticking around, the snow could quickly accumulate — but “thanks to the dry air and the storm’s anticipated quick movement, a blockbuster snowstorm is not likely,” AccuWeather reports.
