Warmth to precede gusty storms in Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

March 22,2016; 10:54PM,EDT

 

 

Temperatures will surge into the 60s and 70s F from the Ohio Valley to much of the mid-Atlantic United States during the middle of this week, ahead of gusty thunderstorms in some locations.
The warmup will occur as a large storm pushes east of the Rockies and produces severe weather and blizzard conditions in the Central states.
The warmth will stop short of records in most locations, including New York City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Following the chill from this past weekend and into the start of the week, it will feel 20 to 40 degrees warmer.
At peak, temperatures will run 15-20 degrees above average for late March.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the peak of the warm in the mid-Atlantic will coincide with the peak of the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.
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Farther north, the warmup will be progressively more limited from Boston to Portland, Maine. Highs will range from the 30s and 40s in much of Maine to the 40s and 50s in much of Massachusetts.
Showers, storms to sweep eastward
Gusty showers and thunderstorms will accompany a push of cooler air, especially in the Ohio Valley to the western slopes of the Appalachians.
Winds accompanying some of the storms could be strong enough to cause sporadic power outages and travel delays.

The storms are likely to have much less impact in terms of wind east of the Appalachians.
A dose of chilly air will slice into the warmth on Thursday in the Ohio Valley. The cooler air will reach the mid-Atlantic on Friday.
Temperatures will be sliced by an average of 15-25 degrees in the wake of the front in the Midwest and 8-15 degrees in the mid-Atlantic, when compared to the peak of the warmth at midweek.