What season is it? Northeast to ride weather rollercoaster
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 14, 2022 3:09 PM EDT
|
Updated Feb 16, 2022 6:21 AM EDT
Drivers were advised to drive slowly on Feb. 13 after poor road conditions caused cars to pile up along the interstate into Detroit, Michigan.
A topsy-turvy weather pattern is unfolding across the Ohio Valley and Northeast this week, with Mother Nature dishing out everything but the kitchen sink. AccuWeather meteorologists say the East is likely to experience flooding rain, snow, strong winds and even record-challenging warmth.
High temperatures hit rock bottom early this week across these areas, with highs stalling in the 20's Fahrenheit for cities such as Detroit, New York City and Boston on Monday.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer said that the early-week cold will be replaced with a new, warmer air mass as it shifts from the Plains to the East Coast during the middle of the week. This will allow for a gradual warmup from west to east across the Ohio Valley and Northeast this week and will come only days after areas from the mid-Atlantic to New England received fresh snowfall.
Compared to early-week lows, temperatures are expected to swing upward more than 30 degrees to near 60 degrees Wednesday for places such as Cincinnati and into the middle 50s in Buffalo, New York. Afternoon temperatures across the Ohio Valley and around the Great Lakes on Thursday are likely to stay at abnormally high levels.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Thursday across the majority of the Northeast, from central Pennsylvania and New York on eastward to the Interstate 95 corridor and the Atlantic Coast. High temperatures in this area could be as much as 35 degrees higher than the start of this week, reaching the upper 50s in New England and the 70s in the mid-Atlantic.
The average high temperature in a location like Pittsburgh or Boston for the second half of February is around 40 degrees, while a normal high temperature for New York City or Philadelphia is around 44 degrees.
Not only are these expected high temperatures well above normal, but they may also challenge daily record high temperatures in several East Coast cities. Locations including Philadelphia and New York City may only be a few degrees away from tying the daily temperature records that have stood for over 45 years.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Sunshine is anticipated for most communities by the middle of the week, helping to bring AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures a few degrees higher than the actual air temperature. But, some wet weather is eventually expected to accompany and eventually erase the springlike warmth.
"For some across the interior Northeast, even though Wednesday will not be as warm, it may turn out to be the nicer of the two days with drier conditions expected and rain likely on Thursday," said Smithmyer.
Wet weather is expected to eventually spoil the warmth for the Ohio Valley and Northeast as the week progresses. A major storm will cause a cooldown in the West early in the week, and then produce snow and severe weather in the center of the country during the middle of the week. This same storm will push into the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Portions of the I-95 and along the Atlantic coast may remain dry for much of Thursday, with wet weather pushing through the region on Thursday night instead. Widespread rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches are likely, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 7 inches expected.
The extreme change in temperature and the addition of rain are likely to melt much of the snowpack still in place across parts of the Midwest and New England. The excessive water will likely be too much for the ground to handle in just a couple of days, which will increase the risk of flooding in these areas.
“Currently from northern Ohio and western, central and northern New York through northern and central New England there is anywhere from a few inches of snow to as much as 20 inches of snow on the ground with anywhere from 2-4 inches of water locked into the snowpack,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
"While a small amount of snow will melt on Wednesday, major warming on Thursday combined with the arrival of drenching rain, higher humidity and increasing winds on Thursday and Thursday night will accelerate the runoff to the point where small stream and urban flooding occurs, as well as rises on some of the major rivers," Anderson added.
The risk of ice jam flooding could occur at the local level, especially in the southern parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as in portions of Massachusetts, where prior thaws failed to substantially melt ice from streams and rivers.
Rising water levels along flood-prone areas of streams and rivers could force road closures and large areas of standing water.
As the storm passes, another wave of cold air is expected to follow, bringing both a change in precipitation and temperature.
As early as Thursday evening, rain showers could transition to a brief period of sleet or freezing rain before ending as snowflakes. As a whole, snow accumulations are expected to be fairly light in most places. The exceptions will be across portions of Michigan and Ohio, downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in Pennsylvania in New York and in northern Vermont and New Hampshire, where a couple of inches of snow will be possible.
Even a light dusting or brief window of snow or ice, however, could create dangerous travel conditions Thursday night and into the Friday morning commute from the Ohio River through western Pennsylvania and western and northern New York.
Dampness and areas of slush and standing water will freeze as colder air pours in during the wake of the storm.
The clash of warm and cold air is also likely to make the atmosphere unstable enough for some rumbles of thunder, especially along the Eastern Seaboard.
After peaking on Thursday, temperatures will drop almost as dramatically as they rose in time for Friday evening. Widespread temperatures in the 20s and lower 30s are likely Friday night.
Unlike with previous waves of frigid air, the late-week cold will be shorter-lived. High temperatures are likely to return to normal by the end of the weekend.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo
News / Weather Forecasts
What season is it? Northeast to ride weather rollercoaster
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 14, 2022 3:09 PM EDT | Updated Feb 16, 2022 6:21 AM EDT
Drivers were advised to drive slowly on Feb. 13 after poor road conditions caused cars to pile up along the interstate into Detroit, Michigan.
A topsy-turvy weather pattern is unfolding across the Ohio Valley and Northeast this week, with Mother Nature dishing out everything but the kitchen sink. AccuWeather meteorologists say the East is likely to experience flooding rain, snow, strong winds and even record-challenging warmth.
High temperatures hit rock bottom early this week across these areas, with highs stalling in the 20's Fahrenheit for cities such as Detroit, New York City and Boston on Monday.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer said that the early-week cold will be replaced with a new, warmer air mass as it shifts from the Plains to the East Coast during the middle of the week. This will allow for a gradual warmup from west to east across the Ohio Valley and Northeast this week and will come only days after areas from the mid-Atlantic to New England received fresh snowfall.
Compared to early-week lows, temperatures are expected to swing upward more than 30 degrees to near 60 degrees Wednesday for places such as Cincinnati and into the middle 50s in Buffalo, New York. Afternoon temperatures across the Ohio Valley and around the Great Lakes on Thursday are likely to stay at abnormally high levels.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Thursday across the majority of the Northeast, from central Pennsylvania and New York on eastward to the Interstate 95 corridor and the Atlantic Coast. High temperatures in this area could be as much as 35 degrees higher than the start of this week, reaching the upper 50s in New England and the 70s in the mid-Atlantic.
The average high temperature in a location like Pittsburgh or Boston for the second half of February is around 40 degrees, while a normal high temperature for New York City or Philadelphia is around 44 degrees.
Not only are these expected high temperatures well above normal, but they may also challenge daily record high temperatures in several East Coast cities. Locations including Philadelphia and New York City may only be a few degrees away from tying the daily temperature records that have stood for over 45 years.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Sunshine is anticipated for most communities by the middle of the week, helping to bring AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures a few degrees higher than the actual air temperature. But, some wet weather is eventually expected to accompany and eventually erase the springlike warmth.
"For some across the interior Northeast, even though Wednesday will not be as warm, it may turn out to be the nicer of the two days with drier conditions expected and rain likely on Thursday," said Smithmyer.
Wet weather is expected to eventually spoil the warmth for the Ohio Valley and Northeast as the week progresses. A major storm will cause a cooldown in the West early in the week, and then produce snow and severe weather in the center of the country during the middle of the week. This same storm will push into the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Portions of the I-95 and along the Atlantic coast may remain dry for much of Thursday, with wet weather pushing through the region on Thursday night instead. Widespread rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches are likely, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 7 inches expected.
The extreme change in temperature and the addition of rain are likely to melt much of the snowpack still in place across parts of the Midwest and New England. The excessive water will likely be too much for the ground to handle in just a couple of days, which will increase the risk of flooding in these areas.
“Currently from northern Ohio and western, central and northern New York through northern and central New England there is anywhere from a few inches of snow to as much as 20 inches of snow on the ground with anywhere from 2-4 inches of water locked into the snowpack,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
"While a small amount of snow will melt on Wednesday, major warming on Thursday combined with the arrival of drenching rain, higher humidity and increasing winds on Thursday and Thursday night will accelerate the runoff to the point where small stream and urban flooding occurs, as well as rises on some of the major rivers," Anderson added.
The risk of ice jam flooding could occur at the local level, especially in the southern parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as in portions of Massachusetts, where prior thaws failed to substantially melt ice from streams and rivers.
Rising water levels along flood-prone areas of streams and rivers could force road closures and large areas of standing water.
As the storm passes, another wave of cold air is expected to follow, bringing both a change in precipitation and temperature.
As early as Thursday evening, rain showers could transition to a brief period of sleet or freezing rain before ending as snowflakes. As a whole, snow accumulations are expected to be fairly light in most places. The exceptions will be across portions of Michigan and Ohio, downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in Pennsylvania in New York and in northern Vermont and New Hampshire, where a couple of inches of snow will be possible.
Even a light dusting or brief window of snow or ice, however, could create dangerous travel conditions Thursday night and into the Friday morning commute from the Ohio River through western Pennsylvania and western and northern New York.
Dampness and areas of slush and standing water will freeze as colder air pours in during the wake of the storm.
The clash of warm and cold air is also likely to make the atmosphere unstable enough for some rumbles of thunder, especially along the Eastern Seaboard.
After peaking on Thursday, temperatures will drop almost as dramatically as they rose in time for Friday evening. Widespread temperatures in the 20s and lower 30s are likely Friday night.
Unlike with previous waves of frigid air, the late-week cold will be shorter-lived. High temperatures are likely to return to normal by the end of the weekend.
SEE ALSO:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo