Warmer Temperatures on the Horizon in Time for Spring

Posted: March 21, 2023 10:00 am

Just in time for the calendar flipping to spring, the mercury will start an upward climb this week across the eastern portion of the U.S. This warmer weather will arrive ahead of an active rain pattern. Read on for the details about the forecast for the first week of spring in the eastern U.S.

Warmer Temperatures on the Horizon in Time for Spring

The start of astronomical spring for the Northern Hemisphere officially kicked off at 5:24 pm EDT Monday. This is the exact moment that the direct rays from the sun pass over the equator and continue northward. The arrival of spring is welcome news for the portions of the Northeast and the Southeast that woke up to unseasonably cold temperatures on Monday morning.

For instance, the mercury dropped to 21 degrees in Nashville on Monday morning. This is 20 degrees below normal for this day in history. Temperatures also fell into the 20s throughout the Atlanta metro area and across portions of Alabama and Mississippi.

In addition to the cold temperatures over the weekend, some parts of the interior Northeast also recorded snow this weekend. The good news is that Old Man Winter will make its way out of this part of the country in the coming days, ushering in warmer temperatures and rain instead of snow.

Timing of Warmup

The upcoming warmup will begin in the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee valleys on Wednesday and Thursday before moving to the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday and Friday. The warmup will happen before the arrival of the storm system that is currently hitting California. This particular weather maker is expected to strengthen and reorganize as it comes down from the Rockies. The abundance of moisture associated with this storm system could trigger flooding across the nation’s midsection on Thursday and Friday.

The swing in temperatures will feel quite dramatic for much of the south-central U.S. and through the East Coast. For instance, readings that landed 20 degrees below normal on Monday morning will catapult to up to 20 degrees above average on Wednesday and Thursday. Nashville is the perfect example of this dramatic shift with readings expected to climb from the high of 40 degrees on Sunday to nearly 80 degrees by Thursday afternoon.

This will be a great week to check out the famous cherry blossoms that dot the landscape of Washington, D.C. this time of the year. According to the National Park Service (NPS), the blooms are predicted to reach their full peak beginning on Wednesday and lasting through Saturday. The rain coming in later in the week will mean that Wednesday and Thursday will be the most pleasant days to head out to the National Mall to catch this natural beauty.

Rain is expected to impact the nation’s capital on Friday and Saturday. However, the middle of the week will boast dry conditions and temperatures that hover in the mid 70s.

It will also be a nice week for other cities along the populated Interstate 95 corridor. New York City will enjoy warmer temperatures in the upper 50s along with an abundance of sunshine on Tuesday and Wednesday. Average temperatures in the Big Apple during the third and fourth weeks of March typically land in the low 50s.

Enjoy the weather while you can as rain and slightly cooler readings are in store for New York City beginning on Thursday. By Saturday, the high temperature will struggle to get out of the 40s.

Boston will see the warmest day of week on Tuesday with an anticipated high of about 60 degrees. This reading is about 15 degrees higher than the historical average. Temperatures will drop down into the 50s for the latter part of the week before falling into the 40s for the weekend. The average high for Boston at the end of March trends in the mid 40s. The cooldown will pair with cloudy conditions and rain showers.

Potentially Snowy Conditions on Tap

In addition to the rain, the incoming weather system may also produce snow for the northeastern corner of the nation. The Great Lakes and New England could see flakes fly as the system approaches this weekend.

Although it will be a beautiful early spring week for places such as Chicago and Detroit, the next storm system will usher in significantly cooler temperatures as well as the chance of flurries to both cities by late Friday. The arrival of snow or a rain and snow mix will complicate travel for the end of the work week and into the weekend.

You can also expect another wave of cold temperatures filtering in behind the snow maker. However, these readings are not predicted to fall as low as what the early weekend will see across the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes.

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