No fooling: Chilly air, snow looms for Great Lakes and Northeast in early April

What could be Mother Nature’s form of a cruel April Fools’ joke for fans of warm weather will be a reality for Great Lakes and Northeast residents during the early days of the new month: cold air and snow.

A storm making a cross-country trek over the coming days will bring along a flurry of impactful weather from coast-to-coast, including the risk for an all-out winter storm mid- to late next week.

The risk for accumulating snow will stem from the same storm that will bring a multi-day stint of severe weather across the central and eastern United States early in the week. On the storm’s northern flank, cold air rushing southward from Canada will allow for rain to changeover to snow, bringing a return of wintry weather around midweek.

“Though severe weather may be what is garnering the most attention on the southern flank of the storm, the northern side should not be ignored,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski stated.

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On Tuesday, there will be enough cold air in place for a swath of snow to develop across parts of Wisconsin or northern Illinois and then extend eastward across much of lower Michigan by Tuesday night. This late-season wet snowfall could snarl travel in some areas, and it is not out of the question that a few snowflakes will even mix in with rain in cities such as Detroit and Chicago.

“Wednesday into Thursday, there will be just enough cold air in place that a late-season, wet snowfall is likely to occur across the interior of northern and central New England, with significant accumulations in the mountains. Though the interior and the higher terrain is likely to experience the greatest amounts of snowfall, there is enough cold air in place that snowflakes could mix in all the way to Boston by late Wednesday into Thursday with some accumulations possible across the Worcester Hills,” Pydynowski added.

Not only will heavy snow be of concern, but gusty winds can accompany the storm mid- to late week as the storm intensifies along the Atlantic coast. This combination of snow and wind can lead to very hazardous travel conditions across the Northeast.

Cold air pressing in on the backside of the storm will have some staying power, keeping the April chill in place through late week.

Temperatures are expected to be 5-15 degrees Fahrenheit below historical averages for early April. The gusty winds will make it feel even more wintry by lowering AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures. Even into the day on Friday, lingering snow showers and blustery conditions are expected to continue across a majority of the interior Northeast.

Although many across the region may be growing tired of the wintry weather, the early April snowfall will be a boon to ski resorts still open across New England and should help to extend the season well into April.

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