Topsy-turvy weather forecast in Northeast as spring nears
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 19, 2021 2:58 AM EST
The calendar may say that spring begins on Saturday, but Mother Nature is about to show residents of the Northeast that winter weather isn't finished quite yet.
Following a snowy February, many locations in the Northeast have not had accumulating snow through the first half of March. In fact, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., have not had even a flake of snow through March 17, while New York City has reported only a trace and Boston has received a mere 0.1 of an inch. That could change prior to the end of the week.
Into Thursday evening, a steady rain is expected to soak many areas, both along the coast and inland. This is part of the same storm system that has been producing violent weather in the South since Tuesday night. Although severe thunderstorms are expected to reach parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia and thunder cannot be ruled out as far north as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., severe weather is not expected to reach these two major cities along Interstate 95.
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Not only has snow been lacking this month, but precipitation as a whole has also been below normal. After the rain on March 1, many areas have had only a trace of precipitation since then. Even though some ponding may occur on roadways during downpours, the rainfall is needed. In addition, since the ground is no longer frozen in most areas, the moisture will be absorbed, as opposed to just running off or collecting on the ground.
As the system moves to the east Thursday night, an area of high pressure will be moving across southern Canada. This high will begin funneling colder air into the region. As this happens and precipitation continues to fall, the air will likely become cold enough for precipitation to mix with or change to snow in some interior locations.
Late Thursday night, as the colder air continues to extend southeastward, the change from rain to snow is expected to expand to some coastal areas and may quickly accumulate.
"As some colder air gets injected into the backside of precipitation associated with a storm that will start to pull away from the Northeast Coast late Thursday night to early Friday, rain in many of the big cities can mix with or even change to snow before ending," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.
Impacts from any snow will vary across the region, but the Friday morning commute could be slippery and wintry in some locations.
This seems to be the most likely scenario for southern New England where there could be a few inches of wet snow that accumulates on non-paved surfaces before clearing begins on Friday.
The warm ground is expected to help offset any major impacts. However, even roads can get a brief, slushy accumulation during any periods of heavier snow. This is especially true for bridges and overpasses. In some places, snow will occur only at the very end of the rain, which will limit chances of accumulation.
Flakes are expected to fly around New York City and are likely to be seen in the Philadelphia area.
"Cities like New York and Philadelphia are not expected to get any accumulation on the roads," Babinski said.
Precipitation may conclude without any snowflakes in cities such as Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. But, a separate pocket of accumulating snow is foreseen over the mountains of West Virginia and western Virginia early Friday morning.
After the storm, a cold Friday afternoon is forecast with temperatures primarily in the 30s F. A clear sky and light wind should allow for an even colder Friday night. Many inland locations will have temperatures fall into the teens, with 20s forecast along the I-95 corridor.
The roller-coaster ride that has been March temperatures will continue this weekend and into next week. Temperatures will rise on Sunday as compared to Saturday.
By early next week, the jet stream will move to the north. This will allow warmth to spread over the Great Lakes and Northeast and produce temperatures well above normal for many locations.
Those higher temperatures may last through much of next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Topsy-turvy weather forecast in Northeast as spring nears
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 19, 2021 2:58 AM EST
The calendar may say that spring begins on Saturday, but Mother Nature is about to show residents of the Northeast that winter weather isn't finished quite yet.
Following a snowy February, many locations in the Northeast have not had accumulating snow through the first half of March. In fact, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., have not had even a flake of snow through March 17, while New York City has reported only a trace and Boston has received a mere 0.1 of an inch. That could change prior to the end of the week.
Into Thursday evening, a steady rain is expected to soak many areas, both along the coast and inland. This is part of the same storm system that has been producing violent weather in the South since Tuesday night. Although severe thunderstorms are expected to reach parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia and thunder cannot be ruled out as far north as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., severe weather is not expected to reach these two major cities along Interstate 95.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Not only has snow been lacking this month, but precipitation as a whole has also been below normal. After the rain on March 1, many areas have had only a trace of precipitation since then. Even though some ponding may occur on roadways during downpours, the rainfall is needed. In addition, since the ground is no longer frozen in most areas, the moisture will be absorbed, as opposed to just running off or collecting on the ground.
As the system moves to the east Thursday night, an area of high pressure will be moving across southern Canada. This high will begin funneling colder air into the region. As this happens and precipitation continues to fall, the air will likely become cold enough for precipitation to mix with or change to snow in some interior locations.
Late Thursday night, as the colder air continues to extend southeastward, the change from rain to snow is expected to expand to some coastal areas and may quickly accumulate.
"As some colder air gets injected into the backside of precipitation associated with a storm that will start to pull away from the Northeast Coast late Thursday night to early Friday, rain in many of the big cities can mix with or even change to snow before ending," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.
Impacts from any snow will vary across the region, but the Friday morning commute could be slippery and wintry in some locations.
This seems to be the most likely scenario for southern New England where there could be a few inches of wet snow that accumulates on non-paved surfaces before clearing begins on Friday.
The warm ground is expected to help offset any major impacts. However, even roads can get a brief, slushy accumulation during any periods of heavier snow. This is especially true for bridges and overpasses. In some places, snow will occur only at the very end of the rain, which will limit chances of accumulation.
Flakes are expected to fly around New York City and are likely to be seen in the Philadelphia area.
"Cities like New York and Philadelphia are not expected to get any accumulation on the roads," Babinski said.
Precipitation may conclude without any snowflakes in cities such as Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. But, a separate pocket of accumulating snow is foreseen over the mountains of West Virginia and western Virginia early Friday morning.
After the storm, a cold Friday afternoon is forecast with temperatures primarily in the 30s F. A clear sky and light wind should allow for an even colder Friday night. Many inland locations will have temperatures fall into the teens, with 20s forecast along the I-95 corridor.
The roller-coaster ride that has been March temperatures will continue this weekend and into next week. Temperatures will rise on Sunday as compared to Saturday.
By early next week, the jet stream will move to the north. This will allow warmth to spread over the Great Lakes and Northeast and produce temperatures well above normal for many locations.
Those higher temperatures may last through much of next week.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo