It’s been a tale of two extreme weather conditions across America this week. As the Midwest and Eastern region freeze under record-breaking blizzard conditions not seen in over 100 years, the western states are frying inside a heat dome that’s bringing the hottest temps to hit the month of March, ever.
Record-Breaking Blizzard conditions and Snowfall across Midwest
As AccuWeather reports, blizzard conditions shut down travel across parts of the Midwest as a March “megastorm” unleashed heavy snow and bitterly cold air over the weekend and into the start of the week. Millions of people in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota were placed under blizzard warnings as the storm intensified with powerful winds.
Extreme snowfall not seen since the 1800s buried Green Bay, Wisconsin, where 17.1 inches accumulated on Sunday. That was the biggest single-day snowfall in the city since Jan. 9, 1889, and the third-highest single-day snowfall in Green Bay’s recorded history.
The heaviest snow fell from southeastern Minnesota across central Wisconsin and into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In that zone, snowfall totals of 1–2 feet were common, with a few locations pushing past the 30-inch mark. As of Tuesday morning, the highest snowfall report was 39 inches near Mount Arvon, the tallest mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Mountain, Wisconsin, measured 34 inches.
The deep snow and low visibility from the accompanying winds snarled travel by car, plane, train, and even made walking treacherous.
Thundersnow rumbles across the mid-Atlantic
As cold air rushed into the Northeast late Monday, rain changed over to snow and set off the rare phenomenon known as thundersnow. Thundersnow was heard in parts of central Pennsylvania, western Maryland and northeastern West Virginia early Monday night, including around State College, Pennsylvania.
Typically, thundersnow occurs during bands of heavy lake-effect snow, during powerful coastal nor’easters, or over the Rocky Mountains or higher elevations of the West Coast States. However, the vigor of the powerhouse storm over the region was enough to spark lightning.
Winter is Expected to Stick Around Long into Spring
Even before the new snow arrived, the storm was falling onto an already deep winter base in parts of the Upper Peninsula. “Many locations across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan still have 20-50 inches of snow on the ground, prior to the arrival of the current storm,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
That existing snowpack, combined with fresh snowfall and a cold finish, could keep a winter backdrop in place long after the calendar says spring. “After this storm moves through, some locales may be able to hold onto snowpack well into the month of April, possibly into May,” Buckingham said.
Meanwhile, 70 Million are Baking under a Heat Dome in the West
Meanwhile, much of the Southwest and western region has shifted from near-average temperatures to early summer heat, with highs climbing well into the 90s in many areas and topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations. These temperatures are more typical of early summer and are breaking records for the earliest dates ever to achieve temps in the 90’s (Utah, Northern California) and even 100’s (Phoenix, Las Vegas).
The heat dome will persist, monthly records may be challenged, and the heat could hold into the weekend or early next week. When a large area of high pressure develops through much of the atmosphere, as it does during a heat dome, the air becomes very stable. Clouds struggle to form, and rainfall is unlikely. As the heat dome strengthens, temperatures continue to climb.
Where Heat Records will be Broken
In downtown Los Angeles, record highs will be challenged or broken on multiple days through Friday as temperatures climb into the 90s. Highs in the upper 90s are forecast Tuesday through Thursday. The all-time March record high of 99 degrees, set on March 29, 1879, may also be challenged in L.A. The earliest 100-degree reading downtown occurred on April 4, 1989, during a multiday heat wave that produced temperatures as high as 106.
Across the mountains and deserts to the east, Las Vegas is forecast to reach 90 degrees or higher from Tuesday through next Monday. Records will be challenged through Saturday, and on some days, highs could exceed the previous records by 7-10 degrees. If Las Vegas reaches 100 on Friday, it would beat the city’s earliest 100-degree temperature by several weeks. The current record for the earliest triple-digit high is May 1, 1947, when the temperature reached 102. The historical average high temperature for mid-March is 71 degrees.
AccuWeather meteorologists project highs near 106 degrees in Phoenix from Thursday through Saturday, which would break daily records by around 10 degrees. The earliest 100-degree reading in Phoenix occurred on March 26, 1988. The average high for mid-March is typically in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees. High temperatures in Phoenix and much of the interior Southwest will run 20-30 degrees above average this week into the weekend.
Farther north and east, record highs could be challenged or broken on several days from Tuesday through the weekend in Salt Lake City. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, records may be challenged or shattered on multiple days from Tuesday through Saturday. From later this week into the weekend, record highs are likely in Denver. Daily records during this stretch generally range from the upper 70s to the mid-80s. In San Francisco, records are expected to fall on several days as highs reach the lower 80s, surpassing previous records in the 70s. Some of these records date back to the mid-1990s.
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