Sunday, March 28, 2021

Will March Go Out Like a Lion? Here's What We're Watching in the Nation's Weather

 Jonathan Erdman

Published: March 27, 2021

March will wrap up next week with a classic spring potpourri of weather, including more thunderstorms, strong winds, colder air, snow and even a few record highs.

This past week has had its share of active weather, ranging from flooding rain and severe thunderstorms in the South, to heavy snow in northern New Mexico, to damaging winds in the Great Lakes.

Let's step through four aspects about next week's weather we're keeping an eye on.

Northeast Begins Blustery

A frontal system will sweep into the East Sunday, spreading rain up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

Low pressure will then intensify as it heads into the Canadian Maritimes later Sunday into Monday, leading to a round of strong winds both ahead of and behind the front. Some gusts may be strong enough to down tree limbs and knock out power in at least a few parts of the Northeast.

This system will also manage to wring out some wet snow in parts of northern New England and upstate New York. The heaviest snow, possibly over 6 inches, may blanket northern Maine.

Next Front Dusts Mountain West

Sunday, a vigorous Pacific cold front will power into the Pacific Northwest, then sweep quickly through the Rockies Monday and Tuesday.

This won't be a moisture-rich system, but it is expected to dump some heavier snow in the Washington and Oregon Cascades into the northern Rockies. Mainly light snow is expected in the high country of Colorado.

What this system lacks in moisture it won't lack in wind.

Strong wind gusts will accompany the front in the Pacific Northwest and will occur in the Rockies and adjacent Plains both ahead of and behind the front Monday and Tuesday.

April Fools' Snow?

By the middle of the week, the aforementioned cold front should reach the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley.

Ahead of it, another round of thunderstorms is expected in parts of the South and East Wednesday into Thursday.

The magnitude of the severe weather threat remains uncertain this far out in time, but some recently storm-ravaged parts of the South could at least see more soaking rain, if not stronger thunderstorms.

By Thursday, low pressure could gain some strength along the front in the Northeast. This could wrap moisture into cold-enough air behind the front to generate some wet April Fools' Day snow in parts of the interior Northeast, perhaps into the Appalachians and Ohio Valley.

(MAPS: 7-Day U.S. Rain, Snow Forecasts)

Temperature Whiplash

What would spring be without the usual temperature roller coaster ride?

Some daily record highs are possible Monday in the northern Plains, where 70s may surge as far north as North Dakota.

Behind the cold front Tuesday, those warm, windswept 70s and 80s will be replaced by 30s and 40s.

In the Northeast, a somewhat coolish Monday will be kicked out by 60s and a few 70s ahead of the next front around mid-week, before crashing again into the 30s and 40s late in the week.

That chillier air will also arrive in the South Wednesday into Thursday, including the Florida Peninsula, which may sizzle in record warmth until then. This South chill may have some staying power into Easter weekend.

The West will start chilly early in the week, but then warm up nicely late in the week before another Pacific Northwest cold front arrives by Easter weekend.

(MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Forecast Highs and Lows)

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.





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