Snap! Frost, snow shaking Northeast from autumnal lull

The first widespread cold snap of the season made for a chilly weekend across much of the north-central and northeastern U.S. Light snow was due to fall near the Great Lakes and in the mountains of the Northeast.

Frost and freeze warnings were posted in the upper Midwest and Ohio Valley, the National Weather Service said, ending the growing season in those areas. The first frost and freeze aimed for the suburbs of major cities along Interstate 95 from Virginia to Maine, AccuWeather said.

Roughly 74 million people could see temperatures drop to freezing or belowfreezing in the next several days, WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue said.

High temperatures were expected to reach the 40s and 50s on Sunday, making for some cool weather for college and pro football games in the upper Midwest and Northeast.

The chilly temperatures were likely a shock for many after a remarkably mild autumn so far in the area, AccuWeather said.

In addition to the cool air, light snow was forecast in portions of western Pennsylvania, Upstate New York and northern New England through Sunday. Only an inch or so were likely in many areas, the Weather Channel said.

The heaviest snow, 3-5 inches, was predicted for northern New England.

“There could be sporadic power outages, where leaves have remained on the trees in the higher elevations and the snow weighs down the branches,” said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Elliot Abrams. The chill won’t last. Another warm-up is due the first part of this week, AccuWeather said, and above-average temperatures are likely across much of the USA by the middle or end of the week, the Climate Prediction Center said.