Temperature war brewing for northeastern US this weekend as summer and winter do battle
Warm and cold air will go head-to-head in the Northeast this weekend with temperatures climbing into the 80s F in some areas while other locations hover in the 30s and 40s. Which side of the fence will you be on?
Diana Mayhew, president and CEO of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, was live on the AccuWeather Network on March 28 to talk about the cherry blossoms and the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Spring is often a battle between two seasons—winter and summer—but usually over hundreds, if not thousands, of miles across the United States. However, the Northeast has been smack in the middle of a temperature battle this weekend, with ice and snow occurring across the north, a clammy ocean breeze in some coastal locations and temperatures soaring to summerlike levels in others.
Some people will experience strong sunshine with highs in the 70s and 80s F while others will be dealing with ice and snow and highs in the 30s and 40s, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
In some cases, huge temperature differences of 30 to 50 degrees occurred in as little as a few dozen miles. A mere shift of the wind from one direction to another caused temperatures to jump or plummet dozens of degrees in a couple of hours.
For example, the Newark Liberty International Airport recorded a 24 degree drop in temperature in less than an hour late Saturday afternoon.
The zone most likely to have major temperature differences will extend across southern New York state and southern New England.
"There has been a more northward trend with the warm conditions for this weekend, compared to earlier this week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
These fluctuations can occur into early this week as well as shift from one part of the day into the next. Those with outdoor plans should closely monitor daily and hourly forecasts for last-minute changes that could occur, depending on the position of that front.
Warmth with higher humidity levels is likely to push back to the north on Monday in the coastal mid-Atlantic to southern New England and perhaps even farther to the north.
At the very least, it may dictate as to how to dress for one day versus the next or the morning versus the afternoon.
Icy conditions near Canada border
Cold and wintry conditions will not be all that far away as people in the Upper Midwest and the southern tier of Canada will realize. A vast zone of wintry precipitation is in store with the primary form being a rare late-March ice storm.
Temperatures will hover in the 30s over much of the icy precipitation zone this weekend. The second wave of icy conditions will continue to ramp up on Sunday.
The worst conditions will be late at night and at the start of the day, with some effects of the late March sun working to bring some melting in the afternoons.
Changes for some on Sunday
Much cooler air is more likely to push southward along the mid-Atlantic coast on Sunday. Temperatures in New York City are forecast to hover in the 50s—some 20 degrees lower than Saturday, for example. So the best day to soak up some rays on the New Jersey, Delaware and Long Island, New York beaches will likely be on Saturday, as Sunday could be cloudy and clammy with drizzle.
Down south, in the warm zone, from Sunday to Monday, it will feel like summertime, with humid conditions. The combination of warmth, high humidity and an approaching cold front will set off thunderstorms. Some of the storms from late Sunday to Monday can be severe, with strong wind gusts, hail and flash flooding.
Prior to any thunderstorms, the combination of warm and breezy conditions can substantially elevate the brush fire threat.
There remains a significant amount of brush, including grasses, leaves and dead branches, on the ground in wooded areas. These fuels have had all winter to dry out and become combustible. Extreme caution is urged with outdoor power equipment and open flames. Avoid parking vehicles in these areas to reduce the risk of hot exhaust systems igniting a fire.
As a testament to the springtime danger, wildfires continue to burn, some unchecked, in the southern Appalachians.
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