ICAP Weather Commentary
Thursday March 18, 2010
Prepared by: Andy Weingarten, Meteorologist ICAP Energy
**Spring in the NE into this weekend, but winter return briefly to the Rockies and Plains..**
The next several days look ideal into the NE with sunshine and well above normal temperatures with afternoons flirting with 70 degrees. We seem to be continuing a warm bias here that has been occurring for most of the month. It is not that way everywhere though as a late season round of winter cold comes into the Rockies and Plains this weekend. The best chance for accumulating snow is in Denver, but it is possible in Minneapolis and Kansas City too. the storm is just now developing in the Rockies, will consolidate over Oklahoma Saturday then head NE towards the Lakes. The best push of cold air relative to normal will again be west of the Appalachians so south out of the Plains into ERCOT and SERC. It will weaken considerably by the time it reaches the east coast early next week. Much of the west is quiet. It turns a little cooler after a couple of days in the 80s for Southern California. A weak front grazes the PNW this weekend, but showers in general look light.
Day 6-10 discussion:
This period is a brief transition to a cooler pattern. The coolest of the air is actually early next week, but there will be one modest reinforcement in the Plains again late next week. The result is a large scale near normal pattern in my view for late March. A small warm bias is likely in the north and a small cool one in the south. Another Rockies storm shifts into the Southern Plains towards the middle of next week then swings NE towards the Lakes and Mid-Atlantic. Precipitation should be all rain with this.
Andy Weingarten, Meteorologist
502-572-3026
IM: apbwx