When does winter cold really end in your city?
Meteorological winter runs from the start of December through the end of February, but that's not true for the coldest part of the year in many places.
Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather meteorologist, reports a late-week cooldown reaching the Midwest and mid-Atlantic, with potential snow next weekend in the Appalachians and interior Northeast.
If winter feels like it hangs on forever in some places, it's not just in your head. Cold stretches can persist later in some parts of the country than others.
Meteorological winter for the United States is defined for historical purposes as the Dec. 1 through the end of February. However, the actual three-month (91-day) period of the lowest temperatures varies from city to city and year to year.
AccuWeather meteorologists have calculated the 30-year historical average dates of winter's end for 49 major cities. Historically speaking, all the cities examined have their end-of-winter dates by March 8.
The earliest end of winter date is in Spokane, Washington, where the coldest weather ends on Feb. 19. The latest end of winter date is in Boston, on March 8, two and a half weeks later.
What about this winter?
This winter, many spots in the western U.S. had very little winter weather, which has caused significant issues with low snowpack in the Rockies.
"In the Southeast, warm weather has returned over the last few weeks, but the chill is lingering in the Northeast," AccuWeather Vice President of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin explained.
"This relatively slower transition to spring in the Northeast is typical compared to other parts of the country which end their coldest three-month period earlier," he added.
Spring Tulips blooming in the snow. (Getty)
Unfortunately for fans of warmer weather, after a warmup this weekend and early next week, chillier air can filter back into the Northeast during the middle and end of March.
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