Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows. Chevron right
Recovery teams, displaced residents in Texas face brutal heat. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

71°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

71°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

Weather Blogs / Northeast US weather

Traffic Jam Aloft Means Detour on Road to Spring

By Elliot Abrams, AccuWeather chief meteorologist

Published Mar 13, 2013 8:39 AM EDT | Updated Mar 13, 2013 11:03 AM EDT

Copied

Wednesday 10 a.m.

Colder air is advancing from the Appalachians to the East Coast today and tonight, triggering snow showers (and in places not cold yet) rain showers. Temperatures from Boston to Philadelphia will be at least 10 degrees lower tomorrow than today. Meanwhile, mild air will replace cold air in the central Plains. At Omaha, where it won't get past the 30s today, it will be in the 60s on Friday. The mild air will only be able to advance so far to the northeast before the next in a series of low pressure areas races by and sends cold air back south. During (at least) the next week, low pressure areas will move along the boundary zone. How far mild advances and the extent which cold air does likewise will then set the stage for who gets snow, rain or some combination with the next storm.

Actually, since cold air is more dense than warm air, the warm air cannot advance until cold air retreats. If warm air tries to advance but cold air holds its ground, the warm air is forced to rise over the cold. As air rises, it cools and can no longer accommodate as much water vapor as before, so clouds and precipitation break out. Cold air can advance no matter what the warm air is doing. This direct action helps trigger lines of showers and thunderstorms.

This video shows a forecast through the middle of next week. The pattern we are in is one of the most challenging that forecasters face, because the outcome of subsequent storms is so dependent on what their predecessors do. Any model or human error gets magnified. You will see on this video two totally different outcomes for Middle Atlantic states later this weekend.

The basic storm track across the U.S. is being forced south of where it might otherwise be by a blocking pattern aloft. Individual high or low pressure areas get cut off from the main current and act as roadblocks or wrecks do on the highways. Until the block breaks down, storms take a detour.

The Northern Hemispheric map below shows the setup. In the southern branch of the jet stream (black arrows), the flow takes a series of twists and turns from the central Pacific to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Across much of Asia, the flow is much more straight west to east. The red arrows trace the meandering path of the northern circulation. Notice the two areas marked "split flow." At these locations, the northern current detours way to the north while the southern branch runs well to the south. This setup works to block or detain anything that is upstream. When the two branches merge, the combined currents are said to phase, and this can help generate very strong low pressure areas.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 10, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 11, 2025
video

Abandoned cars submerged by severe flooding in North Carolina

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

ABOUT THIS BLOG
Northeast US weather
Elliot Abrams
Leading forecaster and meteorologist Elliot Abrams provides regular updates and analysis on on Northeast weather.
  • Astronomy
    with Dave Samuhel
  • Canadian weather
    with Brett Anderson
  • Global climate change
    with Brett Anderson
  • Global weather
    with Jason Nicholls
  • Northeast US weather
    with Elliot Abrams
  • Plume Labs on Air Quality
    with Tyler Knowlton
  • RealImpact of weather
    with Dr. Joel N. Myers
  • WeatherMatrix
    with Jesse Ferrell
  • Western US weather
    with Brian Thompson

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

16 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Floodwater rising in your house? Do this

2 days ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

15 hours ago

Weather News

Earthquake swarm detected at Mount Rainier, biggest since 2009

20 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

15 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather Blogs Traffic Jam Aloft Means Detour on Road to Spring
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...