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CBS 3 Meteorologist bring you the weather seven days on CBS 3. Now, the weather team takes it one step further by blogging daily on cbs3.com.
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It may be March 20th and the first day of Spring,
but I have March Madness on my mind...still!!
March Madness, in the basketball
world, is tipping off on the courts today, but I can't help but use the whole
"March Madness" thing and apply it to weather. How else can you describe March
weather that has seen temps in the 60s fall to the 40s in just a few hours,
heavy rain followed by winds gusting up to 30 mph? Madness!
These gusty winds really will be winds of change.
The next 2 potential precipitation-makers also have the potential to bring us
some snow showers! Although not terribly unusual to see a little snow in March,
to see it later in the month is not the norm. This won't be a lot, but just to
have it in the forecast is noteworthy.
Next week looks less troublesome as a sprawling
high pressure system takes over, bringing several days of nice weather.
Enjoy!
Yep, that's right the March Roller coaster continues. I know this was the theme of my last post as well, but it holds true yet again. Temperatures this afternoon have been in the 40s all day and with our storm moving in tomorrow, we could once again jump into the 60s. Showers will move in overnight tonight and be more widespread by morning. Winds will begin to increase from the south and southwest at 15-25 mph. Those winds will raise our temps in a hurry tomorrow with many areas getting into the low to mid 60s. Our southern areas could even see upper 60s to near 70. As the front moves into the area late tomorrow evening, we could see a few strong storms with gusty winds. Some storms may even become severe with winds of up to 60 mph.
Once our storm moves out it will work with High pressure to the west to bring windy conditions to the area on Thursday. Temperatures will move back to near average with highs in the low 50s.
Yet another storm moves toward us on Friday night and into Saturday and it looks as if some areas may see a little snow out of this. Details on this system are still coming together, but if you are north and west of Philly, keep an eye on the forecast here at CBS3.
Monday may be another day to watch as a few of the computer models are trying to put a storm system together for the day. This could in fact be the case as the upper pattern would support a storm. The NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) has gone negative and the PNA (Pacific North American) has gone positive which normally support cooler temperatures across our region and a stormier pattern.
Stay Tuned!!
Doug Kammerer
CBS 3 Meteorologist
March is known for its turbulent and ever changing weather. We could be warm one day and very cold the next. Storms can produce violent thunderstorms or heavy snowfall. In March our area sees it all. For example, our record high for today, March 13, is 84 degrees, while our record low is 8 degrees - a spread of 92 degrees. Now that is dramatic!
This weekend will be another roller coaster with a high of near 60 on Friday with a chance for rain late in the day. Saturday will be a transition day as we start to see cooler air move into the region. Highs Saturday should be in the low to mid 50s from Philly southward, but may stay in the upper 40s well to the north. Another storm will move to our south, Saturday night, bringing rain along with it. On Sunday, that rain may change back to some flurries or snow showers across our northern areas with highs everywhere in the low to mid 40s. The winds will be gusty as well bringing the wind chill down into the 20s and 30s.
The pattern looks to keep the roller coaster going right into next week as well.
Stay tuned to CBS 3 for all your weather information. This roller coaster will come to and end, but it will be a rather long and sometimes bumpy ride. Enjoy the highs and prepare for the lows.
Posted By Doug Kammerer
I probably don't need to tell you because we've all lived through it, but this March has been full of weather madness. From frigid morning temperatures, to flooding rains, to destructive winds, the month, so far, has been a truly turbulent transition from winter to spring. But it's this transition that makes March so wild, and so infamous for bringing us big, BIG storms.
Two of the biggest on record for our region have to be the storm of 1888 and the '93 Superstorm.
From March 11th to the 12th, 1888, every major city on the East Coast, from D.C. to Boston, was paralyzed with heavy snow and winds that topped out at 70 mph. Philadelphia ended up with over 10 inches of snow, but parts of northern N.J. and southeaster N.Y. were buried under 40 inches of snow.
The storm to top that one (at least for Philadelphia) was the Superstorm of March 13-14, 1993. A foot of snow fell on Philadelphia, the most ever in March. The barometric pressure, a sign of how strong a storm center is, fell to a record low...not just for March, but EVER.
What makes March such a perfect month for big storms is that the Jet Stream is still winter-time strong (this is a power source for low pressures in the upper atmosphere), and temperatures can still get frigidly cold, yet spring-like warm (another power source for low pressures as lows feed of the temperature difference). If you find yourself on the frigid side of a big March storm, watch out! Just ask those in Ohio who are still recovering from the weekend storm that brought them 20" of snow!
Any big March snowstorm in our future? Doesn't look too promising, but stay tuned. MegaDoppler3 is always on the hunt...
With much of the region getting soaked with
anywhere from half an inch to as much as 2 inches of rain just yesterday
(Wednesday), any additional rainfall would be tough to take. We'll be getting
more than additional rain, we're going to get more heavy rain. That will mean
flooding, and not just street flooding, will be a concern.
Here's the set-up....the ground is saturated at
this point from the last storm. The next system, which will take shape across
the southeast, will carry heavy rain as it travels across the Mid Atlantic and
into the Delaware Valley. With the ground unable to soak up the heavy rain
quickly, there will be a lot of runoff. Rivers and streams are already running
high.
Of particular concern will be the exact placement of the heaviest rain. If the northwestern parts of the area pick up the most, then the tributaries to
the Delaware River will be at risk to flood.
Today will be a nice transition day, with mild
temperatures and lots of sunshine. Stay
tuned!
I supposed it could be worse...snow and rain on a Monday. However, we find ourselves looking at another Friday forecast that includes snow (and a little rain, too).
What last Friday's snow-maker didn't have (and this one does) was a big light at the end of the tunnel. By light, I mean a truly nice warm up. Now we've had highs in the 60s this month already, so highs in the 50s won't be earth-shattering. But at this time of year, we will be seeing fewer and fewer opportunities to take the BIG dips that often accompany a big rise.
After this weekend, we're watching for the next storm to arrive late Tuesday.
This winter has really been a season of snows, but lots of little snows. We haven't been walloped with anything more than 3-inches at one time! But if you count all the days with at least a trace of snow reported since December (in Philadelphia as of February 28), you're looking at 20 'snowy' days...not bad for winter! Our window for getting 'the big one' is quickly closing, too. March is notorious for nasty storms, but by its 2nd week, chances drop dramatically for getting any snow with more than 6-inches of snow. Never say never, of course. There was that storm in April, 1915, when more than 19-inches of snow blanketed the region. That must have been something! We do have more snow in the forecast. It may make March come in like a lion, but as far as snow storms go, this one will be another pesky lamb. Expect about an inch of snow, with some rain mixing in. Anything that does stick will be a distant memory by Sunday and into Monday. That's when temperatures are expected to rebound into the 40s and 50s.
