Last blast of Arctic cold? Here's when it will warm up.
- - Last blast of Arctic cold? Here's when it will warm up.
Doyle Rice, USA TODAYFebruary 10, 2026 at 2:24 AM
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Folks in the frigid Northeast will finally get a reprieve from the worst of the bitter cold, as soon as Tuesday, Feb. 10, forecasters said.
"The last blast of Arctic air in the long train of cold waves will cycle through the Northeast into Monday (Feb. 9)," said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an online forecast. "However, after that, warmer air already building in the West and High Plains will move east."
In an online forecast discussion, the National Weather Service said "a moderating trend is expected through midweek for the eastern U.S., following a period of much colder weather, and a particularly brutal weekend for the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic."
Lisa Hemphill, of Hull, Mass., is bundled up tight against the cold wind in her face while walking along Nantasket Beach on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.How warm will it get?
"Well-above average temperatures will spread from the Mississippi Valley/Southeast Monday (Feb. 9) into much of the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic Tuesday (Feb. 10), while New England at least warms close to average," the weather service said in an online forecast.
Forecast highs by Tuesday, Feb. 10 range from the 20s and 30s for New England, 30s and 40s for the Great Lakes and northern Mid-Atlantic, 40s and 50s from the Middle Mississippi Valley east through the Ohio Valley to the southern Mid-Atlantic, and 60s and 70s in the Lower Mississippi Valley/Southeast, the weather service said.
Beyond Tuesday, Feb. 10, and into the next weekend, temperatures look to be well above normal at times for the central United States, the weather service said in an extended forecast discussion. "Daytime highs could be 20+ degrees above normal in spots across the north-central Plains. Both the East and West Coast states should be near or within a few degrees of normal."
winter storm's aftermath from the sky.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured the winter storm's aftermath from the sky.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/KsJtVWmFqR.ILLkP.qWL2A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/8346200378a5abeccb2f94cfa1cf2c39 class=caas-img data-headline="Mesmerizing drone photos taken after winter storm show power of nature" data-caption="
Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured the winter storm's aftermath from the sky.
">Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured the winter storm's aftermath from the sky.
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1 / 11Mesmerizing drone photos taken after winter storm show power of nature
Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured the winter storm's aftermath from the sky.
Warm-up will be a gradual process
Because of the extent of the snow cover, frozen lakes and rivers, cold ground and a lack of strong winds accompanying the Pacific air, the warm-up will be a gradual process, Sosnowski said.
During the middle and latter parts of the week, some days will bring temperatures near or slightly above freezing with the February sun to help. The buildup of ice on area rivers, lakes and bays will stop. However, the reversal may take many more days.
What about snow storms?
Even though temperatures may be significantly higher than in recent weeks, they may still be low enough to support snow, sleet or freezing rain from the Midwest to the Northeast, according to AccuWeather.
"Tagging along with the Pacific air will be some storms, of which the details on the nature and timing of the precipitation they bring will unfold in the coming days," Sosnowski said. "Following weeks of severe cold, as much of the Northeast and Midwest have been experiencing, a pattern change almost always leads to storms packing wintry precipitation," he said.
First, a clipper system moving along the U.S./Canadian border Monday, Feb. 9 will bring some wintry precipitation to portions of the Upper Great Lakes on Feb. 9, with some light snow as well as freezing rain possible, the weather service said.
The system will continue eastward on Tuesday, Feb, 10, bringing more moderate snow to portions of Upstate New York as well as central New England.
Another storm could bring rain and/or snow to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by next weekend, the weather service said, but details remain uncertain this far away from the event.
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, with a focus on weather and climate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will the weather warm up?
Source: “AOL Breaking”
