Spring Fever Takes Aim at Central, Eastern States Next Week

Quincy Vagell
Published: March 3,2016
If the stubborn cold and snow is getting to you, an upcoming shift in the jet stream bringing a surge of warm air into the central and eastern United States next week should turn your winter blahs into spring fever.
This upcoming round of warmth should be even more widespread than what the country experienced around the middle of February.
The same weather pattern will also be responsible for sending wheavy rain and mountain snow to California, as the jet stream digs into the Southwest, allowing for a steady stream of moisture to take aim at the West Coast.

Pattern Change For Second Week of March

An upper-level ridge of high pressure slides east from the Plains to the East later this weekend, setting the stage for the prolonged spell of springlike warmth. A southwesterly flow of air around the Bermuda high will allow for warmer temperatures to spread across areas east of the Rockies.
Here is a breakdown of when and where the warmth will prevail.

Plains, Midwest, South Warmth

The warm weather will slowly spread from the Rockies into the Plains through the weekend.
On Saturday, high temperatures up to 25 degrees above average are likely in the northern Rockies and northern Plains. That will mean that highs in the 60s will reach as far north as the Canadian border.
Sunday looks even warmer as 80s return to the Texas panhandle, and 70s surge into Montana.
(FORECAST: Dallas | Denver | Bismarck)
As high pressure advances toward the East Coast, warmer will be pulled east into the Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley by early next week. Some of the most impressive warmth in the region will be felt Monday and Tuesday ahead of a storm system developing over the Plains.

Forecast Into Next Week

The Great Lakes, which already have considerably less ice cover than this point last year, should enjoy temperatures rising into the 50s, if not low 60s, a welcome change for some after recent snow storms. Green Bay, Wisconsin, could threaten the 60-degree mark early next week.
The warmth also slides east across Texas and the Gulf Coast, with widespread highs in the 70s and some 80s near the Gulf Coast and Florida. The warm conditions may also fuel strong to severe thunderstorms with heavy rain early in the coming week over parts of the Plains and Mississippi Valley.
(FORECAST: Chicago | Atlanta | Orlando)
As a cold front gradually makes its way across the central states by the middle of next week, there may be some moderation in temperatures across the region.

Eastern States Warm Up Too

High pressure slides across the East late this weekend into early next week. As is common with late winter and early spring setups, a northeasterly flow will likely keep parts of Upstate New York and New England cool to start, but that will all change rather abruptly as the high moves offshore.
A return of the Bermuda high, an area of high pressure in the western Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda, will bring a surge of warm air up much of the East Coast.
By Tuesday, temperatures are expected to rise into the 60s and 70s across the Mid-Atlantic region. Even parts of New York and southern New England will make a run at the 60-degree mark.

Highs Compared to Average Next Wednesday

Really impressive warmth is forecast for Wednesday, as 60s overspread most of the Northeast, sending temperatures to more than 25 degrees above average in some locations. This also means temperatures at night largely stay above freezing at night, melting away any snow cover that remains across the region.
(FORECAST: Albany, New York | Hartford | Philadelphia)
The Appalachians get in on the warmth too, with highs well into the 70s in West Virginia. Temperatures this high are more common in May than March across the Mountain State.

Eastern Forecast Next Week

If high pressure stalls off the Southeast coast, as some indications show, the warmth may linger into Thursday and Friday across parts of the East Coast. It is still roughly a week away, so there are uncertainties, including any "backdoor" cold fronts that may cause temperatures to quickly cool across New England.
Either way, get ready for a full blast of spring fever this upcoming week across the eastern two-thirds of the country.
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