Spring setback to deliver rain, more chill to Northeast this weekend
A cold front and incoming storm will bring chilly air, rain and sharp temperature swings across the Northeast, with brief warm breaks before cooler, damp conditions settle in for at least part of the weekend.
While the mid-Atlantic warms up after record-breaking cold, New England is staying in winterlike conditions.
Frequent stretches of chilly air and periods of rain will continue across the northeastern United States through the weekend. While brief warmups are in store for parts of the region, cool days will outnumber warm days into early next week.
A dip in the jet stream will allow cool air to settle across the Northeast, while damp Atlantic air spreads inland. The reach of this cool, damp air will vary from day to day, leading to noticeable swings in conditions in some locations—even within the same day.
Those pining for pleasant weather to spend time outdoors in the Northeast hopefully took advantage of Thursday, which brought the warmest conditions of the week across much of the region.
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Through Saturday night, chilly, damp air will remain in place across much of the Northeast, while a storm system approaches from the west. This setup will produce a swath of rain moving east into the night. Overall, the chilly air will not be as cold as earlier in the week for most of the region.
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, conditions for the draft were dry and warm Thursday evening, with nice conditions again expected on Saturday evening. However, Friday evening brought a few showers with some rumbles of thunder, but they were at least spotty and short-lived.
The corridor of heaviest rain is expected to set up from southern New York and northeastern Pennsylvania to around the New York City Tri-State area through Saturday night, where an inch or two of rain can accumulate.
As the storm moves east from the Midwest, rain should clear the Atlantic coast by Sunday. However, light winds behind the system could leave areas of low clouds and spotty drizzle.
Should clouds linger all day in New York City, temperatures may not climb any higher than the 50s.
New freezes to be limited this weekend
Agricultural interests will be assessing damage to vines, orchards and bushes in the coming days. Temperatures from Monday night into Tuesday morning remained below freezing for many hours from New England and upstate New York to Virginia and parts of New Jersey and Delmarva.
Recent warm weather and rain that occurred just a day or two before the freeze accelerated budding and blossoming to days to weeks ahead of average, increasing the risk of significant damage to this year’s crops.
(Photo/DeniceBreaux, Getty Images)
Methods such as bonfires, wind machines and spraying water on plants are most effective when temperatures briefly dip below freezing or when cold air is confined near the ground, such as during a typical frost. This recent cold snap was more widespread and extended well above ground level, limiting the effectiveness of those measures.
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