Spring Snow Forecast For Northeast As Polar Vortex Arrives From Canada

NPR | By Mark Katkov

Published May 8, 2020 at 3:54 AM EDT

Frigid air from Canada is expected to reach the upper Northeast by Friday evening, as illustrated in this forecast map from the National Weather Service. The NWS predicts the polar vortex will bring "significant" wet snow to New England over Mother's Day weekend.

A late-season polar vortex is headed for the northeastern United States, bringing with it snow and perhaps record low temperatures for the Mother's Day weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The frigid Canadian air is being dragged south by a low-pressure system now moving across the southern Plains, reaching the Mid-Atlantic by Friday and the Gulf of Maine by Saturday.

On its journey, the front will bring rain and thunderstorms, some possibly severe, to parts of the southern Plains through Friday morning.

The NWS says snow will begin to fall over parts of the Great Lakes on Friday, moving into the Ohio Valley by evening. Snow will develop overnight in central Appalachia and parts of the Northeast, reaching northern New England by Saturday.

The interior of New England is expected to receive a "significant amount of wet snow," accompanied by strong and gusty northerly winds, according to the NWS.

As the polar vortex is pulled farther south, record low temperatures are possible as far south as the Gulf Coast.