Overview
- Most regions were mild on Veterans Day Wednesday with highs in the upper 50s to 70s and spotty showers increasing late that night.
- A strong cold front will move through Thursday into Friday producing widespread rain, gusty northwesterly winds and a sharp temperature drop across large swaths of the country.
- Higher terrain and Great Lakes areas are likely to see rain mix with wet snow or lake-effect snow bands as colder air moves over warmer water, though major accumulations are not expected in most population centers.
- Some rural and inland pockets could wake to patchy frost or their first hard freeze Saturday morning, creating a short-term threat to tender plants and early-morning travel surfaces.
- Coastal impacts remain uncertain because the storm’s exact track will dictate how strong onshore winds and minor coastal flooding become, and models will refine timing and local rainfall totals before the system departs and a midweek recovery begins.