US weather: Freezing blast to grip half COUNTRY on Winter Solstice – ‘Coldest day so far!’

A freezing blast poised to roar in on the shortest day of the year will plunge the US into the ‘coldest spell of winter so far’.

Icy winds and snow will grip almost half the nation this weekend as sunlight dims to its lowest on the winter solstice.

Eastern and north-eastern states are wrapping up for waves of bitter cold while further south, temperatures plummet.

A blast of cold ‘forced’ in from Canada will swerve the Great Lakes whose mild waters usually take the chill of Arctic air.

Instead, a ‘wobble’ in the jet stream will draw frigid gusts directly over New England, New York and even as far south as Georgia and Tennessee.

AccuWeather meteorologist Bob Larson said: “From later this week and into the weekend, the Northeast, New England, the mid-Atlantic, and parts of the central Appalachians and eastern Great Lakes region, this will likely get the coldest air of the season so far.

“Instead of the air being warmed by the open waters of the Great Lakes, this cold outbreak will be forced more directly southward from Quebec and eastern Ontario, so little warming will take place.

“Fans heading to football games in State College, Pennsylvania, South Bend, Indiana, and Columbus, Ohio, should be bundled up and prepared for freezing temperatures and gusty winds Friday and Saturday.”

Extreme cold will set in later this week ahead of the winter solstice on Saturday when the earth’s tilt is farthest from the sun.

Wind chill will be worsened by up to 50mph winds and heavy snow drifting off the Great Lakes.

Regions that have dodged heavy snow pile-up so far this winter could end up buried under a festive blanket, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

A spokesman said: “Winds from the north and northwest will average 15-30 mph with gusts between 35 and 45 mph from Friday to Saturday in the Northeast.

“In parts of the Southeast, cold air coming in late this week and this weekend may also rival season lows so far.

“The outbreak of cold air will set off more bands of snow off the Lakes, and shifting winds could cause snow to accumulate in regions that have so far avoided much lake effect.”

The cold snap will arrive after a week of storms driven by low pressure heading east across the US.

These cyclonic systems will help drive the change from mild to bitterly cold with temperatures in parts to plunge 20F.

Weather Channel meteorologist Rob Ellis said: “We are tracking several systems in the eastern half of the country that by the end of the week will have brought some significant changes including some much cooler temperatures.

“As we look to Thursday, there is the chance of some snow across the Great Lakes but once the colder air arrives on Friday, the temperatures will drop, and that snow is going to continue pushing to the east.

“By the weekend, the big changes are here with Minneapolis barely able to get above single digits, and New York not much above freezing.”

Jim Dale, US meteorologist for British Weather Services and co-author of ‘Surviving Extreme Weather’, said: “From Friday, another low moves over the Great Lakes and that’s going to bring some cold air and lake-effect snow.”