Temperatures in Teens Keep It Cool Across Northern Plains

Cold Canadian air kept temperatures in the teens over the northern Plains Saturday, but the “Siberian Express” cold wave that broke more than 200 temperature records and claimed at least 27 lives in 14 states since Nov. 7 blew out to sea.

Temperatures rose into the 40s along the East Coast Saturday after dropping into the teens Thursday and Friday, said Paul Fike, National Weather Service meteorologist.

“It’s getting warmer, but cloudy skies and rain are keeping temperatures from going any higher,” Fike said.

The cold continued to force homeless people into city-run and private shelters. In Paterson, N.J., shelters were filled Saturday, as they had been all week, managers said.

Rain was scattered from southern New Jersey across eastern Virginia to eastern North Carolina.

A weak cold front chilled the northern Plains and northern Great Lakes Saturday, spreading light snow across the northern parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The cold front cut a line across the central Plains, producing dramatic temperature differences. At noon Saturday, Chadron, Neb., recorded 24 degrees, while less than 100 miles away Sidney, Neb., reported a mild 56 degrees.

Strong winds whipped up drifting snow along the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies, prompting travelers’ advisories in northern Montana.