70-degree warmth to spread from DC to Philly, NYC next week

By Brian Thompson, Meteorologist

March 4,2016; 11:08AM,EST

 

 

Temperatures are set to soar over the eastern U.S. during the first full week of March.
Temperatures are expected to reach or even top 70 degrees Fahrenheit in many places during the middle of next week, including New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

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"After a blast of chilly air across the East over the weekend, temperatures will be off to the races for the first part of next week as a strong southwesterly flow brings warmer air northward," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
Just like recent warm spells, the strong flow will produce gusty winds over 30 mph at times.
The warmer weather will be perfect for outdoor activities, especially during the middle of the week.
"Highs may be around 20-25 degrees above average on Tuesday and Wednesday," Pydynowski said.

While much of next week will feature temperatures well above average, Wednesday looks to be the warmest day for most places, when records will be challenged.
Most of the records that will be challenged sit in the Northeast. Farther south in the mid-Atlantic, records are around or even above 80 F, which will likely be out of reach in this warm spell.
Record High Temperatures: Wednesday, Mar. 9

City, State	Record High Wed. (F) (Year)	City, State	Record High Wed. (F) (Year)
Bangor, Maine	54 (2012)	New York City	69 (2000)
Portland, Maine	55 (2012)	Albany, N.Y.	68 (2000)
Boston	72 (2000)	Allentown, Pa.	70 (2000)
Providence, R.I.	66 (2002)	Philadelphia	73 (2000)
Hartford, Conn.	72 (2000)	Wilmington, Del.	74 (2000)

"The average date of the first 70-degree temperature ranges from early April in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, to late April around Washington, D.C., to the middle of May in New York City and late May in Boston, "According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
This warmup will be fueled by an area of high pressure centered between the Carolina coast and Bermuda. This is the same system that will bring the warm weather to the Plains and Midwest over the weekend.
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The warm air will hang on through much of the week due to a persistent southwesterly flow to the East.
By Thursday and Friday, a backdoor cold front may slide southward across New England, bringing temperatures closer to average in places like Boston, Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut.
Across the mid-Atlantic, the warm weather is likely to persist into next weekend.