Topsy-turvy pattern to dish out warmth and cold, rain and snow to the Northeast
Although temperatures are rising across the East, Mother Nature will serve up stormy conditions for the Midwest and Northeast this week.
Rising temperatures during the first half of the week will make it feel like the East is finally climbing out of the depths of winter. However, a little cold is still on the way this week, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Springlike warmth has already filtered into the eastern half of the country, bringing an end to the frigid conditions. Dry weather accompanied most of the warmth Monday before wet weather pops up around the Ohio Valley and Northeast Tuesday. However, the wet weather will not do much to taint the upcoming warmup.
Temperatures in cities like Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York are forecast to soar at least 10 degrees above the historical average into midweek. Tuesday's high temperature in New York City was the first day in the 50s all month, and the mildest day since late December.
The weather pattern will become more topsy-turvy as the week progresses, replacing the warm weather with stormier conditions.
The first of two storms is expected to streak across the Great Lakes Wednesday. Thanks to the mild conditions ahead of the storm's arrival, most of the precipitation is expected to fall as rain.
Although rain and showers could be far-reaching on the southern side of the storm, the rain is not expected to be especially heavy. Most locations from Missouri and Illinois to the Eastern Seaboard can expect about a 12-hour window of wet weather, with rainfall amounts of 0.25-0.50 of an inch.
Even without higher rain totals, locations from southern Wisconsin to New York, northern Pennsylvania, and New England should be on the lookout for flooding.
The combination of milder air followed by rain in locations with several inches of snow depth could lead to rapidly melting snow, ponding on roadways and flooding.
Meanwhile, more snow is forecast on the northern side of the storm.
"Snowflakes can be most widespread for locations such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Upstate New York and northern New England," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys explained, noting most areas, outside of Canada and the Green and White mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, would be unlikely to see more than an inch or two.
Whether rain or snow falls, travel delays are likely as the storm passes through the area. Delays may mount during busy travel times like morning and evening commutes.
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The second storm looks to take a similar track across the region. With more cold air in place this time around, the potential for snow will be more extensive and could stretch farther south into the Midwest and Northeast.
The stormy pattern will generally lend itself to temperature swings for the latter half of the week, including a drop in temperature following each storm's passage.
"Even though waves of cooler air are expected during the second half of the week, residents will notice that it still won't be as cold as the deep freeze from earlier this month," said Roys. The cold is also unlikely to be as persistent as recent waves.
Temperatures will fluctuate from one day to the next throughout the second half of the week. For most places, the coldest air will hold off until the weekend, although high temperatures are still forecast to be near the historical average for late February and early March.
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