March is known to feature some crazy and surprising weather and the 1958 blizzard that occurred in the Mid-Atlantic region between March 18th and 23rd was indeed rather unexpected. In general, forecasts on the morning of March 18th had no mention of snow. This was in an era before computer forecast models were being utilized by weather forecasters on a daily basis and it was even before satellite imagery existed which could aid in the forecast. By afternoon on that particular day, the light rain had changed into huge, wet snowflakes and - for the next few days - history was being made.
Read More
There is an unusually high risk of severe weather in parts of the Mid-Atlantic region from today into the late evening hours with numerous ingredients coming together. The severe weather risk will include all the following weather parameters: downpours, localized flooding, damaging winds, lightning, hail, isolated tornadoes and power outages are all on the table. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms are likely into the late evening hours and severe weather can develop with any of these bands from mid-day on through the late evening. Much colder air pours into the Mid-Atlantic region in the overnight hours and temperatures will be well below normal on Tuesday and lows tomorrow night can bottom out near the 20-degree mark in some suburban locations. The Great Lakes “snow machine” will be turned on as well on Tuesday with numerous snow bands likely just downstream and a few snow showers can make it into the I-95 corridor.
Read More
An intense storm system will develop later this weekend, and it will have an impact over a large part of the nation in the Sunday/Monday/Tuesday time period ranging from blizzard conditions to severe weather including the risk of tornadoes. The risk of severe weather in the Mid-Atlantic region will be unusually high from Monday into Monday night. The heaviest snow band is likely to extend from Minnesota to Wisconsin to the upper part of Michigan where 1-2 feet can fall and the severe weather threat will exist on Sunday/Sunday night across the MS, TN, Ohio Valleys and then shift east on Monday/Monday night from the Mid-Atlantic region to the Carolinas. Arctic air with well below-normal temperatures will pour into the northeastern states by Tuesday and lake-effect snow bands are likely to set up just downstream of the Great Lakes.
Read More
An intense cold front barreled through the Mid-Atlantic region earlier today and temperatures have dropped sharply from early day highs in the 60’s and should reach the middle 30’s by early-to-mid afternoon. Rain is abundant on the back side of the front and - as colder air becomes better established - a changeover to snow is going to take place in many of the same areas of the Mid-Atlantic region that experienced 80-degree high temperatures during the past couple of days. Any snow that falls this afternoon will be of the heavy, wet variety and can certainly cling easily to grassy surfaces.
Over the weekend, another strong cold front will enter the weather picture as it moves to the nation’s midsection with a widespread colder-than-normal air mass on its backside and charging to the south and east. A strong storm system is likely to form along the frontal boundary zone as upper-level support arrives, and the Great Lakes may end up with an all-out blizzard come Sunday night and Monday with plenty of snow and powerful winds. In fact, there can be accumulating snow and strong winds in this same Great Lakes region on Friday from a clipper-system and this would precede the potential blizzard. The intense cold front will bring heavy rain and strong winds to the Mid-Atlantic region/Northeast US on Monday and there can be strong-to-severe thunderstorm activity…much colder air will follow for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Read More
March is known for some wild swings in the weather, and this one looks like it will not disappoint. Temperatures peaked at record-breaking levels on Tuesday in the Mid-Atlantic region and included the earliest observation of 80 degrees in New York City’s Central Park. Severe weather broke out on Tuesday afternoon and evening across the Upper Midwest with tornadoes reported across parts of Illinois and Indiana and severe thunderstorms will be possible today from the Mid-Atlantic region and Ohio Valley to the Lower Mississippi Valley and again tornadoes will be on the table. A strong cold front pushes through the Mid-Atlantic region early Thursday and there is the chance that rain can mix with or change to snow in parts of the area by the late morning or midday hours following right on the heels of the record-breaking warmth…small accumulations of a coating to an inch or two cannot be ruled out.
Over the weekend, another strong cold front will enter the picture across the nation’s midsection with a widespread colder-than-normal air mass on its backside and charging to the south and east. A strong storm system is likely to form along the frontal boundary zone as upper-level support arrives, and the Great Lakes may end up with an all-out blizzard come late Sunday into Monday with plenty of snow and powerful winds. In fact, there can be accumulating snow and strong winds in this same Great Lakes region on Friday from a clipper-system and this would just be an appetizer for the potential late weekend blizzard. The widespread colder-than-normal air mass reaches the eastern states by late Monday and the 20’s and 30’s will be commonplace in the Mid-Atlantic region by the time we get to next Tuesday for afternoon highs...a far cry from the past couple of days. Looking ahead, as is often the case during the month of March, the early-to-mid week cold snap in the eastern states may change dramatically to much milder conditions by the end of next week and yes, this wild weather pattern can flip again with yet another widespread cold air outbreak later in the month.
Read More
A significant severe weather threat exists for later today and tonight in the region from the southern Plains to the Upper Midwest and this risk which includes possible tornadoes will shift east later tomorrow to an area that extends from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic region. Numerous ingredients are coming together for this severe weather threat including a powerful surface cold front, warm and humid air in place, waves of energy aloft in both the northern and southern jet streams, and an incoming colder-than-normal air mass. After possible record-breaking warmth during the next two days in the Mid-Atlantic region, it’ll turn much cooler for Thursday and Friday following the passage of the strong cold front, and a widespread colder-than-normal air mass will push into the eastern states early next week.
Read More
The overall weather pattern remains quite active across the continental US, and it is the time of year for thunderstorm activity to become more prevalent compared to recent weeks. In fact, there can be some thunderstorm activity in the Mid-Atlantic region later tonight as a strong upper-level disturbance passes through the area and heavy downpours are on the table. On Friday, there is an enhanced risk of severe weather across the nation’s mid-section including the threat of tornadoes as a strong upper-level trough ejects northeastward from the southwestern states along with its associated powerful jet streak.
Read More
After a very mild day on Saturday, a strong cold front passed through the Mid-Atlantic region on Sunday and ushered in a much colder-than-normal air mass for the early part of the new work week. The cold front has dropped just to the south of the area and low pressure will ride along the boundary zone today and snow is likely in the DC metro region this afternoon with some accumulations. By tonight, the dominant precipitation type in the DC metro region will be freezing rain and this could last into the early morning hours on Tuesday. Farther north, precipitation is likely to hold off in the Philly metro region until around daybreak on Tuesday and freezing rain will likely be the dominate precipitation through the morning hours. Watch for slick spots in both metro regions before a changeover to plain rain and above-freezing temperatures.
Read More
An active weather pattern brought a clipper system to the north of the Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday and another low-pressure is sliding to the south of the region today with little or no impact. A strong Arctic cold front will arrive in the Mid-Atlantic region on Sunday, and it can produce some snow shower activity; especially, to the north of the PA/MD border. Weak low-pressure will push into the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday and it could produce some snow with fresh Arctic air in place. Yet another low pressure could quickly follow on Monday night and Tuesday with some rain, ice and/or snow possible. Once that early week Arctic air mass retreats to the north, a big-time warmup should begin late next week/weekend in the Mid-Atlantic region with a taste of spring on the way.
Read More
An active weather pattern brought a clipper system to the north of the Mid-Atlantic region today with a bit of snow in some areas just in time for the morning commute. Another low-pressure system will take the southern route on Thursday, and some snow and/or rain will be possible in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor. Another low-pressure system (or two) can impact the Mid-Atlantic region during the early and middle parts of next week and with strong, cold high pressure stationed to the north, frozen precipitation is favored with accumulating snow on the table in some areas.
Looking beyond the early-to-mid week winter weather threats, a noticeable warmup is likely to take place in the Mid-Atlantic region by the end of next week and the warmup can very well last through the second week of March. In fact, temperatures could climb into the 60’s by late next week in portions of the southern Mid-Atlantic region (e.g., Washington, D.C.) and the 50’s are possible in the northern Mid-Atlantic (e.g., Philly, NYC) and it could turn even milder than that during the second week of March. This potential warmup may not be the end of the colder-than-normal weather; however, as there are strong signs for another significant stratospheric warming event to take place by late next week. This potential polar vortex split can bring a return of colder-than-normal weather conditions to the eastern states from around the middle of March to the middle of April.
Read More
