'Marchuary' Continues in Northeast as New Cold Blast Arrives This Week

Brian Donegan
Published: March 19,2017
"Marchuary" continues in the Northeast this week despite the arrival of spring on Monday, as a new blast of cold air arrives. For many cities, the average temperature in March so far is lower than what was seen in January and February – hence the term "Marchuary."
(MORE: Vernal Equinox: Science Behind the First Day of Spring 2017)
By midweek, a southward dip in the jet stream, or upper-level trough of low pressure, will take hold of the Northeast and Great Lakes region, allowing much colder air to return.

This Week's Forecast

High temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below average, while lows will be up to 25 degrees colder than average from the Northeast into the Great Lakes.
Portions of the interior Northeast and northern New England will be stuck in the 20s for highs, and low temperatures will plunge into the single digits and teens mid-to-late week. Wind chill values will be even colder as a stiff north to northwest breeze develops.
(MORE: Pattern Change This Week)

Forecast Morning Lows

Thursday morning will likely feature the coldest temperatures, and a few record lows may be challenged. This includes (current record in parentheses): Hartford, Connecticut (9 degrees), Portland, Maine (5 degrees), Binghamton, New York (9 degrees), and Scranton, Pennsylvania (9 degrees).
These cold temperatures will also allow the chance for some wintry precipitation at times. This includes a potential lake-effect snow event in parts of western and central New York Tuesday night into Wednesday, where most areas still have a deep snowpack from Winter Storm Stella.
(MAPS: 7-Day Rain/Snow Forecast)
The good news is this shot of cold air will be short-lived, and temperatures will return to average by the end of the week and rise above average over the weekend.

"Marchuary" – Colder Than January, February

February was record or near-record warm in a large swath of the eastern U.S., so March has been quite a change in the Great Lakes and Northeast, especially.
Many Northeast cities are experiencing a colder average temperature this month through March 18 than the average temperatures they recorded in January and February.
(MORE: The Two Warmest Februaries on Earth Since 1880 Have Occurred the Past Two Years)

Average monthly temperatures and departures in January, February and March (through March 18).

Buffalo is coming off its warmest February on record with an average temperature of 34.8 degrees, which was 8.5 degrees above average. March is currently running 3.5 degrees below average with an average temperature of only 28.2 degrees.
On the other end of the Empire State, New York City also saw its warmest February on record with an average temperature of 41.6 degrees, which was 6.3 degrees above average. The average temperature in March so far is only 36.1 degrees or 4.3 degrees below average.
In Pittsburgh, it was the third-warmest February on record with an average temperature of 40.6 degrees, a whopping 9.5 degrees above average. So far, March is running 3.9 degrees below average with an average temperature of 33.3 degrees, colder than this past January's average of 34.6 degrees, which was 6.2 degrees warmer than average.
(MORE: Late-Spring Outlook)