Get ready to bundle up.
The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center has released their latest 6-10 day outlook for the United States, and temperatures are likely to drop across most of the country.
The sharpest decline is predicted in the Midwest, as states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa are at the center of a below-average temperature weather system.
But the cold weather is also going to span in a region from the Rocky Mountains to New England, and Pennsylvania will be caught in it as well.
According to Newsweek, the shift is a result of a “major sudden stratospheric warming,” which in turn will shift colder Arctic air southward.
“Forecasters are monitoring the phenomenon, which is occurring much earlier than normal, a rare event that is expected to significantly disrupt the polar vortex in late November or early December,” Newsweek reports. “Such events can shift weather patterns across the United States by destabilizing the polar vortex high above the North Pole, potentially allowing frigid Arctic air to surge into North America.”
This dip in temperatures also comes with a slightly higher chance of precipitation across Pennsylvania in early December, though it’s too early to say if that will result in any significant snowfall.
In the coming week, the National Weather Service in State College predicts that temperatures will drop to a high of around 40 degrees.
Rain and gusty winds are likely in our area over the Thanksgiving holiday, but things could be worse: parts of Pennsylvania are expected to be hammered with a foot or more of snow this week.
The heavy winds and potential for snow may complicate travel for many across the state.