Northwest Still Chillin' in March

It's not warm everywhere in the United States and Canada. Much of the Pacific Northwest has had near- to below-normal temperatures this winter.

A flow off the Pacific Ocean has worked as a great moderator with temperatures in the Northwest this past winter.

Occasional big dips in the jet stream allowed some cold air to drop in from the north and occasionally hook up with storms to produce snow near the coast.

Temperatures in Seattle during the winter have averaged about 1.5 degrees below normal. In Medford, Ore., temperatures have been about 2.0 degrees below normal.

Moving farther inland, away from the direct effect of the ocean, temperatures trend to and above normal. However, compared to much of the Rockies, Plains and East, it seems more like the tundra as temperatures in places like Fargo, N.D., have averaged close to 10 degrees above normal.

During March, as the jet stream bulged even farther north over the eastern two-thirds of the nation, it dipped a bit more over the Northwest and cranked up the flow off the Pacific, as evidenced by noticeably stronger storms.

In Seattle and Portland, during the first 20 or so days this March, temperatures have averaged about 4 degrees below normal. The departures diminish east of the Cascades but continue to run on the colder side. It is not until you reach farther east over the Great Basin, where the warmth kicks in.

The Northwest will get a break from the big storms through this weekend with one system aiming more toward California and another holding up over the Pacific Ocean. Instead there will be some fragments moving ashore with patchy clouds and spotty showers. However, with the jet stream still suppressed, temperatures will continue to average on the chilly side.

During next week, the stream will flatten out a bit. The Central and Eastern states will still be warm, just not as extreme, and as a result, the temperature pattern in the Northwest will try to normalize.

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