A Flash Freeze Will Chill New England on Monday Night And Tuesday

A brief but deep freeze will descend over New England on Monday night and bring the region a downright impressive temperature drop for this late in the season. Temperatures will swing more than 40°F between Monday afternoon’s high and Monday night’s low across parts of interior New England, with communities near the international border waking up to subzero lows on Tuesday morning.

A low-pressure system moving toward the Great Lakes today—part of the same pattern responsible for all the rain and thunderstorms down south this weekend—will strengthen as it heads into Ontario and Quebec on Sunday night and Monday. Winds wrapping around the low will pull bitterly cold Arctic air over New England as the cold front passes through on Monday evening. Temperatures will quickly fall behind the cold front, plunging into the teens and single digits across interior New England.

The greatest threat from this cold weather is a flash freeze, which occurs when standing water quickly freezes as temperatures drop. It’s already raining, or will rain soon, across many of the areas expecting subfreezing temperatures on Monday night and Tuesday. The rapid temperature drop will set in before water on roadways and sidewalks has a chance to evaporate in the wind. 

The Weather Prediction Center’s new-ish Winter Storm Severity Index highlights that parts of the region are at risk for minor to moderate impacts from a flash freeze. Travel on Monday night and Tuesday morning will be very dangerous in these areas due to the widespread potential for black ice. There are probably going to be a few accidents across the region as a result of the slick roads.

The sudden freeze on Monday night is the most pressing concern in the region from this week’s weather. Tuesday should be the coldest day of the week. Temperatures will rebound a bit on Wednesday before falling back into “chilly for this time of year” territory through next weekend. 

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