Later this week, when the mercury approaches 60 degrees, the concept of accumulating snow and ice returning to parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast this weekend may seem unbelievable.
However, the region may need to brace for wintry weather once again as temperatures drop and an approaching late-season storm threatens frozen precipitation beginning Saturday night.
The storm comes on the heels of successive rainfall and a surge of springlike warmth across the country's eastern half. Areas from the Ohio Valley through the southern Appalachians will feel the effects first on Saturday before the system reaches the Northeast, accompanied by chillier air on Sunday.
Unlike last week's peak of the bitter cold, this storm's wintry impact will vary greatly across the region.
Forecasters predict a swath of accumulating snowfall across the interior Great Lakes and Northeast, especially New York state and northern New England, which could receive over 6 inches. The storm's ultimate trajectory will determine how far east and south frozen precipitation extends.