Blast of winter weather hits Midwest and East Coast and could bring snow to Florida

HOUSTON (AP) — A blast of winter weather brought snowfall and subfreezing wind chills across the Midwest and East Coast on Saturday as well as near-freezing temperatures in parts of the South, including normally balmy Florida.

In northeastern Ohio, sudden bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds created whiteout conditions, according to the National Weather Service. Snow squall conditions moved into the Cleveland metro area and were expected to continue east into Pennsylvania and parts of eastern New York.

“Expect visibilities of less than a quarter of a mile and rapid snow accumulation on roadways. Travel will be difficult and possibly dangerous in the heavy snow,” the National Weather Service warned.

Below-average temperatures in the Central and Eastern U.S. were predicted for the weekend and into early next week.

“The next few nights are forecast to be very cold for much of the Central and Eastern United States,” the Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, said. “Sub-zero wind chills are forecast from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast, with the coldest wind chills expected in the Upper Midwest on Sunday night.”

“Impactful snowfall” was forecast to begin late Saturday up and down the East Coast, from the western Florida Panhandle to Maine, according to the prediction center. Snow was expected to blanket Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island by Sunday night, with some areas getting up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow.

Meanwhile Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida were expected to have near-freezing temperatures at least through the weekend.

In Tallahassee, Florida, there could be some snowfall Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. But it should not last long.

“So here in Tallahassee, the likelihood of any snow accumulation is not zero, but it’s very low. I mean the ground will be just too warm for anything to stick and accumulate,” said Kristian Oliver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Tallahassee.

It would be the second time in as many years that the state has seen snow: In January 2025 up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) fell in parts of the Panhandle, part of a record-breaking snowstorm that impacted the Deep South including other normally snow-free places like Houston and New Orleans.

“On average we have an event like this maybe every few years. But having two back to back I’d say is pretty anomalous for the area,” Oliver said.

Up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) was forecast for central Georgia south of Atlanta, with the heaviest snowfall expected between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.

“Plan on slippery roads during the snow, as well as on Sunday night into Monday morning as remaining water/snow refreezes,” the National Weather Service’s Atlanta office said.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70