Winter to bring gentle reminder to Northeast that spring is still a week away
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 12, 2020 5:40 PM EDT
A dose of chilly air will settle over the northeastern United States for the last official weekend of winter.
Spring officially arrives on Thursday, March 19, at 11:49 p.m. EDT, the earliest equinox in the U.S. in about 124 years.
A blustery Saturday is in store for most locations.
Temperatures both days of the weekend will end up being within a few degrees of average, but overall actual temperatures on Saturday will be higher than Sunday.
Normal highs for the middle of March range from near freezing over northern Maine to near 50 degrees Fahrenheit around New York City and the upper 50s in southeastern Virginia.
Blustery conditions expected on Saturday will make it feel cold in the shade. AccuWeather RealFeel Shade™ Temperatures will be 10-15 degrees lower during the afternoon and perhaps even a bit more extreme early in the morning and toward sunset.
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Those planning on going for a jog, hike or long walk while trying to deal with the frustration of not attending large gatherings of people, including some sporting events, due to the COVID-19 situation, are reminded to dress with layers to keep warm.
The March sun will make it feel considerably warmer sitting in or riding around in the car both days during the midday and afternoon hours.
But make no mistake. It will get cold at night, especially where the sky remains clear and winds diminish. During Sunday night, low temperatures are forecast to range from the single digits in northern Maine to the middle 20s in the central Appalachians and near freezing in New York City.
A potential exception to dry and sunny conditions this weekend will be in portions of Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, western Maryland and Virginia, where clouds and a period of rain and even wet snow may roll through during Saturday and Saturday night.
Any small accumulation of snow would likely be restricted to the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. However, while snow grazes a small part of the region, Old Man Winter will take his revenge out on part of the West during the last official days of his reign.
The Eastern storm system is not expected to bring any snow to the Interstate-95 corridor, where the winter of 2019-20 will be remembered as being practically snowless.
Philadelphia has received only 0.3 of an inch of snow the entire winter to date, compared to an average of 21 inches. It's a similar story for Washington, D.C., where only 0.6 of an inch of snow fell when the city's normal is 15.2 inches. New York City picked up a mere 4.8 inches of snow, compared to an average of about 24 inches. The 15.1-inch snowfall to date in Boston was only about 40 percent of its average of 38.1 inches.
This winter in the coastal mid-Atlantic has been among the least snowy on record. During the winter of 1972-73 in Philadelphia, less than 0.1 of an inch of snow fell.
For those planning a trip to Washington, D.C., in the coming days to check out the cherry blossoms, the National Park Service has moved the peak bloom dates forward by about a week from an earlier prediction. The peak bloom dates are now expected from March 21 to 24.
On average, the peak bloom occurs during late March or early April. Warmer-than-average conditions have contributed to the peak bloom date adjustment.
Temperature departures have been between 5 and 8 degrees above average so far in 2020 along the I-95 corridor. Boston's temperature since the start of January has averaged 8 degrees above the normal, New York City's has averaged about 6 degrees above normal, Philadelphia has averaged more than 5 degrees above normal, and D.C. has averaged nearly 6 degrees above normal.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Winter to bring gentle reminder to Northeast that spring is still a week away
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 12, 2020 5:40 PM EDT
A dose of chilly air will settle over the northeastern United States for the last official weekend of winter.
Spring officially arrives on Thursday, March 19, at 11:49 p.m. EDT, the earliest equinox in the U.S. in about 124 years.
A blustery Saturday is in store for most locations.
Temperatures both days of the weekend will end up being within a few degrees of average, but overall actual temperatures on Saturday will be higher than Sunday.
Normal highs for the middle of March range from near freezing over northern Maine to near 50 degrees Fahrenheit around New York City and the upper 50s in southeastern Virginia.
Blustery conditions expected on Saturday will make it feel cold in the shade. AccuWeather RealFeel Shade™ Temperatures will be 10-15 degrees lower during the afternoon and perhaps even a bit more extreme early in the morning and toward sunset.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Those planning on going for a jog, hike or long walk while trying to deal with the frustration of not attending large gatherings of people, including some sporting events, due to the COVID-19 situation, are reminded to dress with layers to keep warm.
The March sun will make it feel considerably warmer sitting in or riding around in the car both days during the midday and afternoon hours.
But make no mistake. It will get cold at night, especially where the sky remains clear and winds diminish. During Sunday night, low temperatures are forecast to range from the single digits in northern Maine to the middle 20s in the central Appalachians and near freezing in New York City.
A potential exception to dry and sunny conditions this weekend will be in portions of Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, western Maryland and Virginia, where clouds and a period of rain and even wet snow may roll through during Saturday and Saturday night.
Any small accumulation of snow would likely be restricted to the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. However, while snow grazes a small part of the region, Old Man Winter will take his revenge out on part of the West during the last official days of his reign.
The Eastern storm system is not expected to bring any snow to the Interstate-95 corridor, where the winter of 2019-20 will be remembered as being practically snowless.
Philadelphia has received only 0.3 of an inch of snow the entire winter to date, compared to an average of 21 inches. It's a similar story for Washington, D.C., where only 0.6 of an inch of snow fell when the city's normal is 15.2 inches. New York City picked up a mere 4.8 inches of snow, compared to an average of about 24 inches. The 15.1-inch snowfall to date in Boston was only about 40 percent of its average of 38.1 inches.
Related:
This winter in the coastal mid-Atlantic has been among the least snowy on record. During the winter of 1972-73 in Philadelphia, less than 0.1 of an inch of snow fell.
For those planning a trip to Washington, D.C., in the coming days to check out the cherry blossoms, the National Park Service has moved the peak bloom dates forward by about a week from an earlier prediction. The peak bloom dates are now expected from March 21 to 24.
On average, the peak bloom occurs during late March or early April. Warmer-than-average conditions have contributed to the peak bloom date adjustment.
Temperature departures have been between 5 and 8 degrees above average so far in 2020 along the I-95 corridor. Boston's temperature since the start of January has averaged 8 degrees above the normal, New York City's has averaged about 6 degrees above normal, Philadelphia has averaged more than 5 degrees above normal, and D.C. has averaged nearly 6 degrees above normal.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo