Sunday, March 8, 2015

Springlike Warmth to Spread Across Midwest, Northeast This Week

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist
March 8,2015; 10:14PM,EDT
 
 
The first week of March delivered more snow and bitter cold to the East and Midwest, but changes are on the way for the new week.
Milder, more seasonable weather is expected to lift into the regions during the first part of the week, giving people across the regions a taste of spring.
"A change in the weather pattern will turn off arctic air invasions to allow the March sun to go to work over much of the central and northeastern United States," said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Unlike earlier this year when warm weather only made brief appearances in the East before getting swept away by blasts of arctic air, this week's mild weather should hold for several days.

High temperatures in the 40s and 50s will be common from Minnesota to Maryland and up into Massachusetts on Tuesday and Wednesday, right around normal for the start of March.
Some cities, such as Chicago and Detroit, may even have their warmest day so far in 2015 during this stretch of mild weather.
People who still have their outdoor holiday decorations up may find this shift in the weather pattern to bring an opportunity to take them down without having to wear gloves and a heavy winter coat.

Since this is not expected to be a significant warmup, it should allow snow still covering the ground to melt at a more gradual pace, limiting the potential for widespread flooding due to rapid snowmelt.
However, these flooding risks cannot be ruled out, particularly across the Ohio Valley.
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A system tracking from the southern Plains toward the mid-Atlantic will spread a swath of heavy rain in its path.
"Concern is greatest for this rain to combine with snow melt and cause flooding in and around the central and southern West Virginia mountains and into Kentucky," stated AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

Looking ahead to the second half of the week, the Midwest is expected to continue to bask in the springlike warmth while colder air dips back into the Northeast.
This air will not be as harsh as the Arctic blasts from February, Sosnowski said.
At the same time, a storm will begin to form along the Gulf Coast and lift up towards the Northeast.
Depending on how much cold air moves into the region on Thursday and how long it sticks around for, this system could produce snow or ice in the Northeast before next weekend.
Continue to check back with AccuWeather.com over the coming days as more details can be determined about the storm potential late in the week.




 
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