Saturday and Sunday Outlook: Hard Frost From the Tennessee Valley to the Carolinas, Snow Showers in the High Country and Pacific Storms Aimed at Northern California

The storm that soaked the East Coast on Friday is not quite finished, and the cold behind it is the bigger story for the weekend of Nov. 14-15. Forecasters are calling for lingering rain and mountain snow in the Northeast, the first widespread frost and freeze of the season across the South, mountain snow in Colorado and a new round of Pacific storms aimed at the West Coast.

AccuWeather meteorologists said nearly every state along and east of the Mississippi River should record its lowest temperatures of the season so far this weekend ^[1]. Weather.com reported that the same system, after bringing the first accumulating snow of the season to the interior Northeast and the Great Lakes snowbelts, is also ushering in first frosts and freezes for parts of the East and Southeast ^[2].

Rain for the Cities, Snow for the High Country

In the Northeast, elevation decides who shovels and who grabs an umbrella. AccuWeather said the big cities, including Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, are in line for rain, while wet snow falls farther inland ^[3]. Higher towns such as Elkins, West Virginia; Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania; and Saranac Lake, New York, could see anything from a slushy coating to a few inches, and AccuWeather's projections showed localized pockets of 6 to 12 inches in interior New York and western New England through Saturday ^[3]. Totals will depend on elevation, temperature and how hard the snow falls, the forecasters cautioned ^[3].

Snow that heavy and wet clings to tree limbs. AccuWeather warned that branches could break on the highest terrain, causing isolated power outages, and said the storm could also bring flight delays for travelers ^[3]. Because the system spends much of its life well inland, AccuWeather said true nor'easter conditions would not develop until it begins to pull away ^[3].

By Saturday, Weather.com expects lingering lake-effect rain and snow showers, with more snow showers in the Appalachians and in parts of upstate New York and northern New England ^[2]. Wet snow could even reach the lake snowbelts of northern Indiana, northeast Ohio and southwestern New York, the outlet said ^[2]. AccuWeather said blustery, chilly conditions follow for the rest of the weekend ^[3].

The South's First Hard Freeze

The deepest push of cold air is aimed at the South. AccuWeather said the coldest air will settle over the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys Friday night into Saturday, then shift toward the southern Appalachians and the Piedmont Saturday night into Sunday ^[1]. Lows are expected in the lower to mid-30s, some spots could fall into the 20s, and parts of the region may get their first killing frost or hard freeze of the fall ^[1].

In Atlanta, AccuWeather projected lows in the mid-30s in the urban core and near freezing in outlying areas, about 10 degrees colder than recent readings ^[1]. In the Upstate of South Carolina, FOX Carolina forecast the season's first widespread frost and freeze on Saturday morning, with lows in the low to mid-30s and readings below freezing in the mountains, as Arctic air pushes temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below normal ^[4]. The station said the chill would hang on into next week, with lows returning to the mid-30s in the Upstate and the upper 20s to low 30s in the mountains, before temperatures gradually warm ^[4].

For anyone with a garden, porch mums or animals outdoors, the time to act is before sundown. FOX Carolina urged residents to bring potted plants inside and cover tender plants left in the ground, to keep pets and livestock warm with adequate shelter, and to make sure water sources do not freeze ^[4]. The station also suggested readying fireplaces and checking on neighbors ^[4], good counsel in any season, especially for older folks living alone.

Related Nor'easter Brings First Snow to Upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Northern New England as NYC Braces for Soaking Rain

The West Takes Its Turn

On the Pacific side, the weekend worry is water. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center placed the odds of heavy precipitation at 40 to 60 percent on Nov. 14 and 15 for parts of southwestern Oregon and Northern and Central California, according to a Yahoo News weather report ^[5]. The atmospheric river feeding the storms is expected to shift south, sending the bulk of the precipitation into Northern California, the report said ^[5].

Northwest Oregon looks to escape the worst. The same report said the Willamette Valley could pick up a quarter-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain from Nov. 13 to 15, with up to 6 inches of snow possible above 5,000 feet, and that colder air with the system could let snow reach farther south into Northern California's mountains ^[5].

In Colorado, the National Weather Service office in Boulder gave a 40 to 60 percent chance of snow above 8,500 feet from Saturday afternoon into early Sunday, though forecasters do not expect it to cause significant travel trouble, the Denver Gazette reported ^[6]. Denver has a chance of rain Saturday with highs in the mid-50s, after a sunny Friday near 64 degrees ^[6].

For travelers, that means allowing extra time for Northeast flights ^[3] and checking the latest forecast before crossing high passes from the Appalachians to the Rockies. With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, it is also a fine weekend to get the house, the garden and the woodpile ready for the season ahead.