Spring Forecast 2019: Don’t Put Your Coat Away Any Time Soon

Spring is less than a month away, and it cannot get here fast enough for everyone who’s sick of the freezing cold temperatures.

Nearly every part of the country has experienced at least one significant winter storm this season, and we still have a little less than a month to go. The winter weather began in December before winter even officially started, with snow and ice falling from the Southern Plains and into the Southeast.

The Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions each received more than one round of snow in January. In February, many cities in the West again experienced snowfall totals they don’t normally see. But, on the bright side, the additional snowfall has been great for ski resorts in the Rockies.

When Will Spring Weather Be Here?

OK, this is what everyone wants to know — and the answer isn’t all sunny. Unfortunately, spring temperatures may be slow to arrive for folks in the middle of the country.

Colder air is expected to take over most of the continental U.S. for the final week of February, and that will linger into the first week of March, too.

Everywhere from the Plains to the Midwest will have a hard time recovering from this surge of cold air, and most of March will be cooler than average.

Seeing any kind of warmup in this middle section of the country isn’t likely because this winter has brought additional rain and snow, leaving the ground saturated.

All that extra moisture takes longer to warm up.

Meanwhile, the East Coast and parts of the Southwest have been a bit drier, so they’ll start to feel spring’s warmth a little faster.

Looking further ahead, into the months of April and May, it’s looking like the warmth will build on the coasts and slowly work inward.

The overall trend for March, April and May is showing a warmer start to spring for areas west of the Rockies and from the Southeast up to the Northeast.

Everywhere in between will likely get typical spring temperatures.

As for precipitation, the wettest parts of the U.S. will be across the southern half of the country — from the Four Corners Region all the way to the Mid-Atlantic.

Will El Niño Affect Spring Temperatures?

A weak El Niño is currently in place, and there’s a small chance — roughly 55 percent — that it will stick around through April and May. However, this particular El Niño is so weak, it’s not expected to have any effect on the upcoming spring weather.

Spring officially begins on March 20. And despite any predictions from groundhogs emerging from their burrows in early February, it appears most of the country won’t be getting warm temperatures any earlier than that.

You can follow meteorologist Jason Meyers on Twitter and watch some of his entertaining (and educational) videos on YouTube.