Mar 13, 2011: Chilly Start, Warm End To Week

***This post is from 2011. Please visit the MAIN PAGE to see the latest forecasts for the NYC area.

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- The 5-Day Forecast page was updated tonight for the central and western parts of the area.
- In addition, a storm summary on the heavy rains over the last week will be posted sometime later this week.

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Today ended up bringing mainly cloudy skies to the area with temperatures cooler than expected, peaking in the upper 40s to lower 50s for most of the area with mid 50s in Newark, NJ. While tomorrow will bring slightly cooler temperatures for the area, temperatures will steadily warm up throughout the week along with a moderate rain event on Wednesday, and by Friday may even reach the 70 degree mark in New York City.


Tomorrow's Outlook:

Tomorrow will bring party cloudy skies to the area with a northwest wind expected. Temperatures will be slightly colder across the area than today's high temperatures, peaking in the mid 40s for most of the area with upper 40s in the immediate NYC area.

Tomorrow night, as a high pressure moves into the area, additional clearing in the cloud cover is expected, with clear skies overnight. Temperatures are expected to be similar to tonight's low temperatures, but may be slightly colder in some areas, generally in the lower to upper 20s away from NYC and in the lower 30s for NYC.


Tuesday And Wednesday: Dry Start, Rainy For Wednesday

As the high pressure will be just to the east of the area on Tuesday, a SSE wind is expected, which will lead to the coldest temperatures in the area towards Long Island and SE Connecticut, expected to peak in the lower to mid 40s. Temperatures will be warmer further west, peaking in the lower to locally mid 50s from New York City and further west. Tuesday will start out with sunny skies, but cloud cover will increase by the afternoon.

During the overnight hours, as a storm to the west of the region moves in, light rain will develop late. Other than potentially a brief snow or sleet shower to start in the western parts of the area, no frozen precipitation is expected. A steady light to moderate rain is expected to fall throughout the early morning hours, and by the time that the rain ends in the early afternoon from west to east, rain totals are expected to generally be near 1/2 inch, locally higher or lower. Cloud cover will clear on Wednesday night behind the storm.


Thursday And Friday: Taste Of Real Spring

So far this month, temperatures have failed to warm much beyond the 60 degree mark, however this will change with Thursday and Friday. As Wednesday's storm exits, so will the cold air mass over the area, and with mostly sunny skies, Thursday's temperatures will warm up above the average highs, reaching the mid 50s to lower 60s across the area.

Temperatures overnight are expected to be generally steady in the lower to upper 40s across the area, however Friday is expected to be even warmer than Thursday. There is still some slight uncertainty with exactly how warm it gets, which also depends on the timing of the storm and the cloud cover which at this time is expected to be partly sunny, however there is the potential for parts of the immediate NYC area to reach the 70 degree mark on Friday.


Longer Range: Colder Pattern Develops?

This warm spell will only be temporary, however. The cold front is expected to be mainly dry, though it could bring some showers and potentially thunderstorms as it moves through the region. This will not be a strong cold spell, with temperatures expected to return towards the average, with high temperatures generally in the lower 50s expected at this time, with the next storm expected to affect either parts of the region or the entire region around March 21. There are still indications that a colder pattern may develop by the last week of March into early April, and more information will be posted on this potential as details become clearer.