DAYS 1-5 (MARCH 15-19)

Low pressure will impact our weather over the next 3 days as it travels northeastward from the Midwest through the Great Lakes and across eastern Canada. The preliminary impact comes today in the form of cloudiness as a warm front crosses the region, but with not enough moisture to produce any precipitation. The main impact comes from pre-dawn Monday through late Monday evening as we get into a stronger southerly air flow with abundant subtropical moisture ahead of the storm’s cold front, providing a stronger, gusty wind and waves of rain showers, some of which can be on the heavier side. Isolated damaging wind gusts (and some resultant power outages) are possible. Rainfall combined with melting snowfall from the mountains coming down the streams and rivers can cause some flooding on those (which can persist into mid week, especially larger rivers). Thunderstorms can occur as the cold front sweeps eastward through the region, putting an end of the rain portion of the event later Monday night. Behind this system we’ll still feel its impact on Tuesday in the form of a gusty wind and colder weather, though it will be a dry St. Patrick’s Day. Chilly and dry weather is expected Wednesday as high pressure moves in. Some clouds return Thursday as milder air makes an attempt to return on the back side of high pressure and ahead of low pressure and a warm front moving out way from the Great Lakes.

TODAY: Limited sun / lots of clouds. Highs 42-49. Wind variable to SE up to 10 MPH.

TONIGHT: Cloudy. Rain showers arrive overnight and become widespread. Temperatures steady in 40s South Coast but rise to 50s elsewhere. Wind SE to S increasing to 10-20 MPH with higher gusts overnight.

MONDAY: Cloudy. Widespread rain showers until mid morning and returning again mid to late afternoon with just scattered rain showers between those times. Highs 57-64 except 50-57 South Coast. Wind S 15-25 MPH, gusts 30-50 MPH (possibly higher in some higher elevation and coastal areas).

MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with widespread rain showers and embedded thunderstorms, ending from west to east overnight. Breaking clouds toward dawn from west to east. Lows 32-39. Wind S 15-25 MPH, gusts 35-55 MPH, strongest in higher elevations, shifting to W from west to east late evening and overnight, diminishing slightly.

TUESDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 40-47. Wind W 10-20 MPH, gusts 25-35 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 27-34. Wind W 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 40-47. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 22-29. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny. Highs 47-54. Wind S 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MARCH 20-24)

The Vernal Equinox occurs at 10:46 a.m. on Friday March 20, marking the beginning of spring. Unsettled weather is possible that day and into the weekend with a couple of disturbances / low pressure areas passing by, though major storminess is not indicated. This may wind up with a shot of cold air to end next weekend. We watch for the next storm system that may impact the region toward the end of the period.

DAYS 11-15 (MARCH 25-29)

Some up and down temps indicated for late month with another storm system potentially about mid period with a precipitation threat. A lot of detail to work out in this medium range forecast with uncertainty and seasonal volatility as factors.