A broad dip in the jet stream has allowed cold, Canadian air to drop across the eastern U.S. over the past few days. In concert, a center of low pressure, riding the southern edge of this trough, has brought snow to the lower Mississippi Valley, the Gulf Coast region and the Southeast. Last evening, the storm turned to the northeast and will move up the coast, from Virginia to Maine.
Sweeping Atlantic moisture over the entrenched cold air, this late winter storm is forecast to produce heavy snow across the urban corridor, impacting over 40 million Americans and delaying many more who travel through the region. Though March is usually lumped with the "spring months," such snowstorms are not unusual during this month as an erratic jet stream triggers a clash between warm and cold air masses.
Fortunately, the frigid air and heavy, wet snows don't last long. A higher sun, longer days and a rapid rebound in temperatures quickly convert the beautiful white blanket to slush, mud and swollen streams. Such is the nature of March.
