Weather Forecast Now logo
50° mist

Weather News

Early May Chill in Store for the Eastern Half of the U.S.

Christy Bowen

3 hours ago
GOES-19 AirMass RGB satellite composite from April 29, 2026, showing a stark boundary between cold, dry polar air (deep purple/burgundy) dominating the central and northern U.S. and the warmer, moister air mass (green) across the South. This sharp contrast is driving the unseasonably cold temperatures forecast to grip the eastern half of the country as May begins.
GOES-19 AirMass RGB composite, April 29, 2026, showing cold polar air (purple) clashing with warmer air (green) across the South — the driver behind the early May cold snap sweeping the eastern U.S. Source: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR

An influx of cooler air is going to expand across the central and eastern U.S. in the coming days, supporting the development of frost in the northern reaches of the impact zone. The cold temperatures will creep as far as the interior South, impacting millions of Americans. Read on for the unseasonably chilly forecast.

Cooler Weather to Grip Much of the Eastern Half of the Nation

A surge of cold air will make an encore appearance across the Midwest and the Northeast just as the calendar flips to May. Some of the same areas that were impacted by frost and freeze conditions last week will be under this threat once again. Several communities that did not see the cold impacts last week may also be under the gun for the damaging frost.

The NOAA Climate Prediction Center's 6–10 Day Temperature Outlook, issued April 29, 2026, shows elevated probabilities of below-normal temperatures dominating the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast through early May. Source: NOAA/CPC
NOAA's 8–14 Day Temperature Outlook, valid May 7–13, 2026, indicates below-normal temperatures are expected to linger across the Great Lakes region and parts of the Midwest and Northeast well into the second week of May. Source: NOAA/CPC

Tags

Share

More Weather News