Frigid temps loom for N'east, Midwest: forecasts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Northeast and Midwest can expect an extended winter chill, including bitter cold temperatures next week, that should boost demand for home heating fuels, forecasters and oil traders said on Tuesday.

Forecasters said Northeastern states should brace for a major storm as early as Tuesday that would bring snow, freezing rain, sleet and below normal temperatures to major metropolitan areas.

Hard on its heels would follow even colder temperatures as another cold front moves in Sunday in the Northeast as well as the Midwest, extending deep into next week, they said.

"This cold snap will bring some of the coldest temperatures of the winter to the Midwest and the Northeast," David Streit, senior meteorologist at MDA Federal Inc, told Reuters.

"It looks like Chicago will go below zero by next week," he added, referring to a Fehrenheit temperature reading for the Windy City equal to minus 18 Celsius. "And then along the Northeast you will see a lot of those cities dropping into the teens."

Energy analysts said the colder weather would likely boost demand for heating fuels in the Northeast, the world's biggest heating oil market, and the Midwest, where households prefer natural gas as a home heating fuel.

"With colder than normal temperatures expected to move into the eastern U.S. next week, heating oil is the strongest segment of the petroleum complex so far today," said Tim Evans, energy analyst with Citi Futures Perspective.

He was referring to heating oil futures for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange, which jumped more than 4.50 percent to $1.6688 per gallon on Tuesday.

MAJOR WINTER STORM

Private forecaster Accuweather.com said a major storm would hit Northeastern states Tuesday and Wednesday -- spawned by a fast-moving storm from the northern Plains and a powerful storm from the Deep South that will combine over the Northeast.

"By Wednesday, heavy icing is expected from Pennsylvania into southern New England, with up to a foot of snow possible across the higher terrain of interior New England," Accuweather said on its website. "Ice will change to rain along the Interstate 95 corridor."

Northeast temperatures, which averaged 4 to 8 degrees F (2-4 C) above normal during the past 24 hours, will be 1 to 4 degrees F below normal by Thursday and 4 to 8 degrees F (2-4 C) below normal Saturday, forecaster DTN Meteorlogix said.

DTN Meteorlogix's 6-to-10-day forecast called for near to below normal temperatures in the U.S. Northeast.

MDA Federal's Streit said the storm system expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast in the next 48 hours did not appear to have a lot of snow for the major metropolitan areas, but will nonetheless prove to be messy and cold.

"It's a big storm ... It's mostly freezing rain and sleet. Temperatures will be running below normal," he said.

"But this storm system is not the one that's going to usher in the very cold weather. That will not arrive until the start of next week," added Streit, who is based in Rockville, Maryland.

Around Sunday, temperatures will begin plummeting in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic by 10 degrees F, at least, he said.

"Temperatures will be well below normal then and it should continue through much of next week," the forecaster added.

(Editing by Walter Bagley)