Warmth to battle back against winter’s lingering chill in the Northeast

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

March 22,2017, 2:35:48PM,EDT

 

 After harsh cold at midweek, temperatures will soar across the mid-Atlantic as winter chill lingers across New England into the weekend.

Temperatures will plummet across the Northeast during Wednesday night. Lows will be a few degrees F lower than average for any night in January as far south as the Carolinas.
There will be a frost and freeze across portions of the Tennessee Valley, southern Appalachians and interior Southeast by Thursday morning. However, temperatures are not likely to dip as low for as long as that of last week.

The chill will be eroded away as high pressure settles off the East Coast and directs a flow of warm air into the region late this week.
“A gradual warmup will ensue in the mid-Atlantic, where high temperatures are expected to exceed seasonal averages by the end of the week,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts said.
As the warm air clashes into the lingering chill, a brief period of icy mix and slippery travel can occur from near Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania to north of I-90 in New York state on Friday.

It is possible that rain can freeze on some surfaces as far south as the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia early Friday.
The precipitation will tend to be brief and light in nature, but motorists and pedestrians should still use caution when heading out on Friday morning.
Saturday is shaping up to be the warmest day of the stretch across the mid-Atlantic with temperatures climbing 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.
Temperatures will rise above 70 degrees in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., for the first time since March 1 and March 9, respectively. Highs in the 60s are forecast from Pittsburgh to New York City.
The first half of the weekend will provide the best opportunity to check out the cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital with May-like temperatures and plenty of sunshine in store.
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Cold air will not budge as easily to the north.
“In northern New England and the Adirondacks of upstate New York, winter’s chill will maintain its grip,” Eherts said.
The dividing line between warmth to the south and cold to the north will hug the I-90 corridor in New York and Massachusetts. North of this corridor, temperatures will average 5 to 10 degrees below normal into next week.
“Temperatures will struggle to exceed seasonal average highs even on the warmest day,” Eherts said.
At best, temperatures may climb to within a few degrees of seasonable levels on Saturday in Burlington, Vermont; Boston; and Portland, Maine.
Clouds, rain and a breeze off the chilly Atlantic will suppress the warmup across the mid-Atlantic during the second half of the weekend.
Rounds of wet and wintry weather will ride along the temperature battle zone into early next week.