Massive cold front to bring freak weather to much of U.S.: forecasters

A massive cold front is hitting the nation, bringing with it intense winter weather and, in one state, a threat of wildfire, forecasts show.

A record-breaking cold will expand across the U.S. this week bringing warnings of snow squalls to the Midwest, freeze warnings to Arizona and an increased wildfire threat to California, according to the National Weather Service.

“A potent autumn cold front is set to complete its trek across the CONUS [continental U.S.] by midweek as it pushes through the Gulf Coast and East Coast states by tonight,” forecasters warned Monday.

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“Freeze Warnings and Watches extend from central Arizona through the southern Plains and into the Midwest.”

Freeze Warnings

A reported 60 million Americans are under frost or freeze alerts Monday in a region that stretches from southern Arizona to west New York, the NWS states.

Halloween will be especially bone-rattling in the Rockies and northern Plains where temperatures could drop into the single digits.

“These temperatures also equate to around 20 to 25 degrees below average for this time of year,” the forecast notes.

The sudden Halloween cold front is rendered eerier by the unseasonably warm weather witnessed across the nation over the weekend.

Houston, for example, saw temperatures Sunday spike to 87 degrees, World Meteorological Organization data show. By Monday, that number plummeted to 47.

Snow Squalls

Snow squalls could slam the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and Great Lakes through Halloween and northern Maine could get up to 8 inches of snow, the National Weather Service predicts.

A low-pressure system will push from the mid-Atlantic to the Gulf of Main Monday that will hit those freezing temperatures in Maine, the forecast states.

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A cold front descending from Canada could bring snow squalls to the northern Plains Monday and the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

“These squalls may contain high snowfall rates and rapidly reduce visibility where they impact,” the National Weather Service warns. “Winter Weather Advisories have been issued.”

Wildfire Risk

Meanwhile, in California, the risk is wildfire.

Santa Ana winds are expected to blow over Southern California Monday as a high-pressure system settles over the Great Basin and Rockies, the National Weather Service warns.

Possible gusts up to 70 mph coupled with dry vegetation and low humidity could produce “critical fire weather.”

The National Weather Service urged Californians to be very careful with anything that might spark a wildfire.