Cold air diving into the northeastern United States to start the new week will be accompanied by gusty winds, snow and the threat for slippery travel.
The fresh chill will rush in behind this weekend’s storm with rain and pockets of snow and ice.
“As the mid-Atlantic dries out, the storm will spread snow or a wintry mix from northeastern Pennsylvania to Maine on Sunday night,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
The greatest risk of a steady, accumulating snowfall will be across central and eastern Maine from late Sunday night into Monday night.
Three to 6 inches of snow with locally higher amounts can fall from Augusta to Bangor, Houlton and Caribou, Maine.
Enough snow can also fall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Portland, Maine, to lead to a slippery Monday morning commute.
Maine will not be the only area of the Northeast contending with snow at the start of the week.
“Expect colder and blustery conditions over much of the Northeast on Monday with bands of lake-effect snow likely off Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,” Pydynowski said.
The snow showers can quickly coat grassy and elevated surfaces, as well as lead to slippery patches along parts of interstates 80, 81, 86 and 90, and less-traveled secondary roadways.
Locally heavier snow squalls may occur, which can lead to rapid reductions in visibility and a heightened risk of chain-reaction accidents on the highways.
Outside of Maine, the greatest risk of a couple inches of snow to accumulate and slippery travel will be over central and upstate New York, where snow showers will be most persistent.
It is not out of the question for a stray flurry to reach the I-95 corridor from New York City to Boston as the cold air rushes in late Monday and Monday night.
Areas of the Northeast that escape snow showers will not be spared the cold, biting winds from Monday to Tuesday.
While Monday’s highs across interior areas will not be far from normal levels, generally in the middle 30s F, the wind will create much lower AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures in the teens and 20s.
Untreated roads and sidewalks that remain wet from Monday’s snowfall and have not been dried by the winds will be at risk of a rapid freeze-up on Monday night.
Tuesday is expected to be the coldest day of the week across the region, with highs in the 20s across upstate New York and New England, 30s from New York City to Boston and 40s from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia.
“The lake-effect snow and steadier snow over Maine can wind down by Tuesday, but the cold winds can persist through this day,” Pydynowski said.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see just how cold it will get and if snow is forecast for your area.
“This will be a quick cold shot as milder air sweeps back into the mid-Atlantic by Wednesday and Thursday,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott said.
Commuters and people getting an early start on holiday travel will be happy to hear that fairly calm, sunny weather is expected at midweek.
However, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the next storm expected to brew at late week, which can unleash soaking rain and even snow on its backside across the central and eastern U.S.