East Coast Heat Wave, Western Snow To Last Through Coming Week

The eastern half of the continent is experiencing one of the most dramatic March warm-ups that anyone can remember.
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The eastern half of the continent is experiencing one of the most dramatic March warm-ups that anyone can remember.

This update will be relatively brief, if for no other reason than there isn't a lot going on from coast to coast right now...want proof? Take a look at the national radar summary...

Well, the calendar page has turned to March, and the start of the traditional final stretch of the winter sports season is underway.
For the first time this year, I am putting this discussion together while it is snowing outside!
As I suggested in my last report, the pattern was about to enter a phase that would finally bring some snow to the Midwest and Northeast on more of a regular basis. We are starting to see the results of a set up that can be categorized as more of a typical La Nina pattern, with cold spread out across the north and building warmth across the southland.
A battle zone has been established in the middle, and it is going to be the area where additional storms will traverse in the next ten days or so. The cold will not be available in abundance with all of the systems, so there will be a mix of precip types spread out across the circulation of each storm, but the mountains of Northeast are starting to experience the snowiest 10 day period that this season will bring.
Longer term, it looks as though a warm spell will follow the interlude of storminess and snow, but it will NOT signal the start of spring …

As suggested in this column a couple of weeks ago, the pattern across the country has become more active, and snow is now falling with more regularity and coverage than it has through much of this season.

What a winter! Even when a tremendously strong upper level trough comes together - as was the case this weekend - it happened too far off the eastern seaboard, and just light snow fell in the eastern United States.

My last discussion was based on the belief that the eastern half of the country was about to enter into a pattern that is much more conducive to colder weather and more snow threats in the coming weeks.