Winter is about to play an April Fools' joke on the Northeast
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 30, 2022 1:24 PM EDT
|
Updated Apr 1, 2022 5:05 PM EDT
This week started with a blast of Arctic air, flurries and heavier snow squalls in the northeastern United States and the new month is beginning in a similar fashion as Old Man Winter continues to keep spring at bay into Friday night, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The upcoming chill will follow a brief episode of warmth and severe thunderstorms from Thursday. The drop in temperatures could add shock value and more snow squalls will erupt, but changes will not be as extreme as with the last blast of icy air that enveloped the region on Sunday and Monday.
"There are some fundamental differences with the air that will settle in late this week, compared to the cold air which overspread the Northeast from Sunday to Tuesday," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
This time, the polar vortex will not be involved in ushering in the chilly blast.
"The air from early this week originated from the Arctic, while the air coming in from Friday to Saturday will originate from southern Canada and the Pacific Ocean and will not be as cold, nor as harsh as a result," Pastelok explained.
Temperatures dipped to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average over a broad area of the Northeast Monday. New York City's temperature barely inched above the freezing mark, while temperatures in some locations over the higher elevations of the Appalachians did not climb past the teens. Typical highs for late March range from near 40 over the northern tier of New England to the mid-50s around New York City and the mid-60s in southeastern Virginia.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
A few places over the interior Northeast may still face temperatures that are 10-20 degrees below average from Friday to Saturday, but departures of 5-10 degrees below average are likely to be more common along the Atlantic coast, AccuWeather forecasters say.
Daytime temperatures will generally rise above freezing in the mountains and well above freezing in the lower elevations of the Northeast late this week, according to AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist Brian Wimer, who added that precipitation will move across the region amid the cold wave.
Even though the air will not be nearly cold as it was Monday, it will be cold enough to allow some heavy snow showers to occur from the Great Lakes to the Appalachians. Farther east, a little wet snow may mix in with rain showers closer to the upper mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.
"Typical late-winter and early-spring snowy areas from southeast of Lake Huron to southwestern and northern New York state, as well as northwestern Pennsylvania, stand the best chance of 1-2 inches of slushy snow accumulation, mainly on non-paved surfaces," Wimer said.
On Monday, as chilly as the air was near the ground, it was very cold thousands of feet above the ground. As the sun emerged and warmed the ground slightly, it gave extra energy to snow showers that formed. Some of the squalls became quite intense with snowfall rates of 2 inches per hour, which caused near-zero visibility for several minutes. These heavier snow squalls created dangerous conditions on some area highways. A deadly multiple-vehicle pile-up occurred along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in one of the intense squalls that developed late Monday morning.
Some heavier snow squalls will still be on the prowl into Friday evening, but most are not likely to reach the intensity of the squalls from Monday. Still, motorists should be prepared for a sudden drop in visibility and the potential for road conditions to become slushy in a few minutes, especially in eastern Ohio, western and northern Pennsylvania and across parts of western, central and northern New York.
Gusty winds will tend to dry most roads off during the evening hours on Friday. However, where some wet conditions remain after sunset, untreated surfaces can become icy Friday night.
This time the wintry interlude should be easier to shrug off. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be about 20-30 degrees higher Friday, compared to widespread AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures in the teens and single digits and even below zero from the start of the week. Friday will still be a blustery and unseasonably cold day in many areas of the Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England.
With more sunshine and less wind compared to Friday, Saturday should feel much better to those who are planning to spend time outdoors. This should be true even in the mid-Atlantic, where actual temperatures may be several degrees lower than Friday.
The biggest temperature turnaround will be along the western slopes of the Appalachians. The high in Pittsburgh is forecast to be in the lower 50s Saturday, following a high in the lower 40s on Friday. Farther north, a lingering breeze into the afternoon could make it feel chillier than the actual temperatures across northern New England.
The spring season often brings a wild ride in temperatures, but this week seems to be taking it to the extreme. For example, Clarksburg, West Virginia, tied a record daily low of 14 Monday morning, but the temperature had climbed 68 degrees to 82 Wednesday afternoon and tied a daily high record. By Friday morning, snow showers will be in the area with temperatures not far from 40 in the West Virginia town. By Saturday afternoon, temperatures are likely to rebound into the mid-50s.
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 / Winter Weather
Winter is about to play an April Fools' joke on the Northeast
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 30, 2022 1:24 PM EDT | Updated Apr 1, 2022 5:05 PM EDT
This week started with a blast of Arctic air, flurries and heavier snow squalls in the northeastern United States and the new month is beginning in a similar fashion as Old Man Winter continues to keep spring at bay into Friday night, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The upcoming chill will follow a brief episode of warmth and severe thunderstorms from Thursday. The drop in temperatures could add shock value and more snow squalls will erupt, but changes will not be as extreme as with the last blast of icy air that enveloped the region on Sunday and Monday.
"There are some fundamental differences with the air that will settle in late this week, compared to the cold air which overspread the Northeast from Sunday to Tuesday," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
This time, the polar vortex will not be involved in ushering in the chilly blast.
"The air from early this week originated from the Arctic, while the air coming in from Friday to Saturday will originate from southern Canada and the Pacific Ocean and will not be as cold, nor as harsh as a result," Pastelok explained.
Temperatures dipped to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average over a broad area of the Northeast Monday. New York City's temperature barely inched above the freezing mark, while temperatures in some locations over the higher elevations of the Appalachians did not climb past the teens. Typical highs for late March range from near 40 over the northern tier of New England to the mid-50s around New York City and the mid-60s in southeastern Virginia.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
A few places over the interior Northeast may still face temperatures that are 10-20 degrees below average from Friday to Saturday, but departures of 5-10 degrees below average are likely to be more common along the Atlantic coast, AccuWeather forecasters say.
Daytime temperatures will generally rise above freezing in the mountains and well above freezing in the lower elevations of the Northeast late this week, according to AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist Brian Wimer, who added that precipitation will move across the region amid the cold wave.
Even though the air will not be nearly cold as it was Monday, it will be cold enough to allow some heavy snow showers to occur from the Great Lakes to the Appalachians. Farther east, a little wet snow may mix in with rain showers closer to the upper mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.
"Typical late-winter and early-spring snowy areas from southeast of Lake Huron to southwestern and northern New York state, as well as northwestern Pennsylvania, stand the best chance of 1-2 inches of slushy snow accumulation, mainly on non-paved surfaces," Wimer said.
On Monday, as chilly as the air was near the ground, it was very cold thousands of feet above the ground. As the sun emerged and warmed the ground slightly, it gave extra energy to snow showers that formed. Some of the squalls became quite intense with snowfall rates of 2 inches per hour, which caused near-zero visibility for several minutes. These heavier snow squalls created dangerous conditions on some area highways. A deadly multiple-vehicle pile-up occurred along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in one of the intense squalls that developed late Monday morning.
Some heavier snow squalls will still be on the prowl into Friday evening, but most are not likely to reach the intensity of the squalls from Monday. Still, motorists should be prepared for a sudden drop in visibility and the potential for road conditions to become slushy in a few minutes, especially in eastern Ohio, western and northern Pennsylvania and across parts of western, central and northern New York.
Gusty winds will tend to dry most roads off during the evening hours on Friday. However, where some wet conditions remain after sunset, untreated surfaces can become icy Friday night.
This time the wintry interlude should be easier to shrug off. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be about 20-30 degrees higher Friday, compared to widespread AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures in the teens and single digits and even below zero from the start of the week. Friday will still be a blustery and unseasonably cold day in many areas of the Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England.
With more sunshine and less wind compared to Friday, Saturday should feel much better to those who are planning to spend time outdoors. This should be true even in the mid-Atlantic, where actual temperatures may be several degrees lower than Friday.
The biggest temperature turnaround will be along the western slopes of the Appalachians. The high in Pittsburgh is forecast to be in the lower 50s Saturday, following a high in the lower 40s on Friday. Farther north, a lingering breeze into the afternoon could make it feel chillier than the actual temperatures across northern New England.
The spring season often brings a wild ride in temperatures, but this week seems to be taking it to the extreme. For example, Clarksburg, West Virginia, tied a record daily low of 14 Monday morning, but the temperature had climbed 68 degrees to 82 Wednesday afternoon and tied a daily high record. By Friday morning, snow showers will be in the area with temperatures not far from 40 in the West Virginia town. By Saturday afternoon, temperatures are likely to rebound into the mid-50s.
More to read:
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