Warm temperatures are expected in the US East Coast later this week and before New Year's Eve following the brutal and deadly winter storm over the past week, where widespread disruption, including travel chaos and weather-related casualties have occurred.
New Year's Eve Temperatures
AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting that warm temperatures or milder conditions are possible along the US East Coast by the end of the week, just in time before the New Year's Eve on Saturday, December 31.
The said weather forecast is in reference to the winter storm last week caused by an arctic air mass that blanketed parts of Canada and the US.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines stated that a significant change in temperature is expected for the Eastern US by the beginning of 2023 or at least during the second half of this week.
The weather shift is reportedly possible as a northward bulge in the jet stream from the Plains to the US Atlantic coast will allow warm air to move northward from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.
Also Read: Weather Fluctuations: Northeast to Experience Both Warm and Cold Temperatures This Week
Deadly Winter Storm
The looming warm temperature before New Year's Eve comes after a historic winter storm ravaged parts of the East Coast, including New York, where at least 27 people died in the Buffalo area after heavy snow and cold temperatures.
The CNN reported that Buffalo officials believe the death toll will continue to climb as teams continue to conduct their search-and-rescue operations.
Dozens of Americans have died since the storm brought frigid temperatures and paralyzing snowfall in different parts of the US, with a nationwide death toll of at least 49, including 27 of these deaths came from Erie County, New York, as of Monday, December 26, as cited by the US media network.
Some of the deaths were attributed to exposure to the winter weather, while some died of natural causes.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told CNN that emergency responders have gone to homes without heat and take them to warming shelters.
Some people were found dead in their vehicles with no heat to counter the freezing temperatures.
Moreover, other sources such as those cited by NBC News from officials that the historic blizzard killed at least 57 people across the US where the massive snow storm blanketed vast areas, leaving a number of roads impassable and causing a travel chaos.
Based on the NBC News tally, the deaths were recorded in 12 states across the Lower 48 states such as:
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
Bomb Cyclone
Over the past week, US meteorologists have described the latest winter storm as a bomb cyclone or a winter hurricane, which left over 55 million under weather alerts and as many as 1.8 million properties without electricity in the US.
Furthermore, the storm has also caused the delay or cancellation of thousands of flights, Sky News reported.
In Canada, at least 140,000 homes lost power, mostly in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec just north of the US.
In contrast to the AccuWeather forecast, Canada's meteorological agency said temperatures will remain low in many parts of the country this week, as cited by the UK news company.
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