Abrupt Spring: Weird Summer Heat Spreading Across Much Of The U.S. Way Too Early. Severe Weather, Too!

We didn't see forecast maps like this much during the
winter. High chances of well above normal 
temperatures in the East between March 8-12

The heat of winter in the United States are continuing into a new month as blowtorch record highs out west threaten to head east.   

Record high temperatures really began to take hold of portions of the United States in the past few days. While the West roasted, much of the rest still shivered. For the first couple of days in March, anyway.  

Believe it or not, meteorological winter, the period from December 1 to February 28, was the second warmest on record in the U.S.

People in the northeastern United States would beg to differ. But the colder than average weather in the Northeast was far outdone by the bonkers warmth across the western U.S.

SOUTHWESTERN BLOWTORCH

Many of the records that have already been set are pretty alarming. 

In the final days of meteorological winter, on Thursday, February 26, preliminary data shows that the temperature reached 106 at Falcon Dam, Falcon Reservoir, Texas. That's right on the Mexican border about halfway between Laredo and McAllen, Texas. 

If that temperature is verified, that would be the hottest temperature on record anywhere in the United States in February and in meteorological winter. The normal high temperatures this time of year at Falcon Dam is in the mid to upper 70s. 

The previous mark for hottest U.S. temperature rwas 104 degrees.

California and Arizona joined the chat on Friday. Ocotillo Wells, California reached 101 degrees, which sets a new mark for hottest February day on record for anywhere in California.

Meanwhile, Tacna, Arizona reached 100 degrees Friday, which is the hottest winter day anywhere in that state. Phoenix, Arizona hit a high of 92 on Friday, tying the record for hottest February temperature. It was the first 90 degree reading of the year. That milestone usually comes in late March, a month later than it did. 

Then it reached 92 degrees again in Phoenix Saturday. Then it hit 93 on Sunday. Another record high.  

Those temperatures shattered what became by far the hottest meteorological winter on record in Phoenix, with a mean temperature of 64 degrees. The old record was 61.3 degrees, set just last year in the winter of 2024-25.

Phoenix has had some alarmingly hot, consistently record breaking heat over the past two years, so this trend is troubling. 

Record highs included downtown Los Angeles at 91 degrees, Woodland Hills, 92 degrees and Burbank, 90 degrees. At a higher elevation, Big Bear had a record high of 70 degrees. 

HEAT MOVES EAST

Now, for something different. For the first time since early winter, the record western  heat in the US is heading east. 

It started in the Rocky Mountains, which also had a warm winter. 

Over in Colorado, Denver just had its second warmest winter on record, and the most days of 60 degrees or more in meteorological winter, with a total of 41. 

Up in Montana, the warm dry winter continued right through February and into March.  A wildfire erupted in late February near Butte. State fire officials said it was unheard of to see a fire this time of year on a north facing slope at an elevation above 6,000 feet. There should have been snow on the ground. 

By the end of this week, the heat will have spread to much of the central and eastern United States. There will be dozens, or more likely hundreds of record highs through the rest of the week and into the weekend. .

For example, by Friday, places like Tennessee will be in the low 80s, which will threaten record high temperatures. 

Oxford, Mississippi, hardest hit by the destructive ice storm back in late January, is expecting daily highs in the mid 70s to low 80s today through at least next Monday. 

Charlotte, North Carolina is expecting near record highs in the low 80s by Friday. 

Washington DC had nearly an inch of new snow yesterday as temperatures held in the 30s all day. Daily high temperatures there Thursday through next Monday are likely to be in the 70s.  

It's still unclear how warm it'll get here in New England and how long it will last, but we should see at least a few warmer than normal days. With a lot of snow lingering on the ground near the Great Lakes and in New England, ice jams and flooding are possible. 

SEVERE WEATHER

The real dangerous weather, though, looks like it will set up in parts of the Plains and Midwest over the next several days. 

South winds that are helping to move the heat into the United States are now starting to pull deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and that trend will continue to intensify. It'll be downright humid in much of the central and southeastern U.S. the rest of the week.

With storms moving across the north central United States and cold air lurking to the north, this is a classic set up for severe weather, tornadoes and flooding. 

It'll start up this afternoon in a small way across Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. It looks like the risk of severe will increase tomorrow around northeastern Texas, and parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. More severe weather is expected in Texas Thursday.

Friday looks like a particularly dangerous day from Texas all the way up to Iowa. It's looking like there could be quite a few tornadoes. This could be first major severe weather outbreak of the season. 

 

As Lower 48 Prepares To Sink Into Arctic Icebox, Alaska Experiences Record Warmth And Storminess.

Destructive winds amid record high temperatures
blew this pedestrian walkway onto a highway
Sunday in Seward, Alaska. 

As cold weather in  much of the United States gets ready to turn truly Arctic and icy, Alaska is having a strangely warm, stormy time of it.  

The most extreme weather hit Anchorage and environs Sunday, with a windstorm so fierce that some houses lost their roofs, caused a pedestrian bridge to partly collapse, and toppled scores of trees and power lines. 

A landslide also blocked a road in Seward, but that was cleaned up within a day without causing injuries. 

Winds gusted to 132 mph at a mountain location south of Anchorage, the Associated Press reports. Just north of Anchorage, a 107 mph gust was reported in Arctic Valley. Within Anchorage itself, winds reached 75 mph. 

Some power outages around Anchorage were expected to last four days, at least through today, Wednesday. 

The extreme northern tip of Alaska experienced their own weird, warm storm. Utqiagvic, formerly Barrow is usually dark, dry and incredibly frigid this time of year. Normal highs are around minus 5 with the low around 16 below.

Instead, it's been incredibly warm for them. Also windy. Plus, on Tuesday, the had a rarity. Utqiagvic had a touch of freezing drizzle, which is practically unheard of there, especially in January. The high temperature reached 25 degrees, which doesn't seem impressive, but it fell just short of a record high. 

On Monday, it snowed in Utquigvic, and if you melted it down, it amounted to 0.29 inches of rain. Again, that doesn't sound like much, but for them, it was a record wet or snowy day. The high temperature was 24, again just short of a  record high. Oh, and the wind gusted to 60 mph. 

So quite a day for them. 

RECORD HIGHS

Fairbanks, Alaska is usually a bitter icebox this time of year, with a normal high of near 0 and a low around 18 below. 

But on Sunday, the temperature soared to a record high of 47 degrees, beating the old record high by eight degrees. On Monday, Fairbanks set another record high of 42,  It's now turning a little colder in Fairbanks, but not nearly as cold as it usually is this time of year. 

After getting a little below zero Thursday, daytime highs are forecast to be in the teens and 20s for at least a week, with overnight lows above zero. That'll be warmer than it will be around here in Vermont. 

Other record highs on Sunday up in Alaska included 44 degrees in McGrath, which exceeded the old record by a big eight degrees. Normally frigid Kotzebue got a little above freezing for a record high of 33, beating the old record of just 30. 

WHY ALASKA BAKES, LOWER 48 FREEZES

A huge northward bulge in the jet stream is allowing warm Pacific air to flood into Alaska, so they're not having the January they're used to having. 

This is one big, big northward bulge, so you're going to have a big, big corresponding dip in the jet stream to the east. That big dip is taking frigid air from the North Pole and is slamming it southward through central Canada.

That Arctic air will cross the border into the northern Plains later Friday and then quickly engulf virtually all of the Lower 48 from the Rockies to the East Coast by Saturday night. 

Low temperatures are expected to reach the 20s to near 30 below zero across a big swath of the northern United States from Idaho to Michigan, Parts or all of 40 states will probably get below zero.

The frigid temperatures are forecast to moderate, but not entirely go away, within about a week from when they start 

 .

  

Videos:

News report on the wind in Anchorage. Click on this link to view or if you see image below, click on that

More wind damage around Anchorage: Click on this link to view, or if again, if you see image below, click on that. 

Security footage of a pedestrian bridge collapsing due to high wind in Seward, Alaska. Once again click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

We Did It AGAIN: 2024 Hottest Year On Record In Vermont

A thunderhead erupts in hot, humid weather in June
in St. Albans Bay. As measured in Burlington, 2024 was
easily the hottest year on record, breaking the
mark set just last year, in 2023.

Yes, Vermont had its hottest year on record in 2024. And it wasn't even close. 

On this date last year, I wrote a post about 2023 being the hottest year on record and could not believe we'd had four years in a row that were among Burlington's top 10 warmest.

Now in 2024, we've done it again, the fifth year in a row we scored in the top 10 list of warmest years. 

This year also knocked 1953 and 1898 out the Number 10 spot of warmest years in Burlington. That means all of the top 10 warmest years have happened since 1998, and nine of the top 10 have hit since 2010.  

That is simply bonkers for a period of record that goes back to the 1880s.  Climate change is really being felt in Vermont. 

Even more bonkers is the margin by which we broke 2023's mark for hottest year.  The average temperature in Burlington in 2024 was 50.9 degrees. That's 0.9 degrees - almost a full degree hotter than 2023.

That might not sound like that big a record breaker but a the hottest year on record by nearly a degree is insane if you consider we're averaging out 366 days (2024 was a leap year).

Since 2024 was the hottest year on record by such a large margin in Burlington, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably won't see a year as hot as the recently ended one for quite awhile, several years at least.

Then again, as I demonstrated a year ago, I can be proven wrong. We'll see. With climate change running on, though, it's inevitable we will have a year in Vermont even hotter than 2024. Unless you're quite elderly, you'll probably see a year or two or more toastier than the last one. 

It looks like St. Johnsbury also had its warmest year on record with a mean temperature of 49.1 degrees.   

That said, I have a feeling 2025 will break the streak and not become one of our top ten hottest years on record. Even with climate change, you need to have a cooler year eventually.  Today's mild weather notwithstanding, it looks like  January is going to be quite chilly, which would help drag down 2025's overall average temperature. 

After all, 2024 brought us no substantially cooler than normal months, and even many of the warmer years have at least one chilly month. Incredibly, eight months in 2024 in Burlington were among the top ten warmest. 

Burlington wasn't alone in seeing 2024 as the hottest. We'll soon have stats that show many cities in the United States just had their warmest year on record.  The United States  will probably see its hottest year on record as 2024. Plus, the world as a whole will see 2024 as its hottest year, though we won't have final numbers on that for a couple weeks .

Back here in Vermont, precipitation in 2024 was highly variable. Both in when it rained and snowed and where it rained. The summer was very wet, the autumn very dry. 

At Burlington, rainfall for the year was unremarkable. Total rainfall for the year there was 38.35 inches, which is just 0.82 inches above average

St. Johnsbury set a new record for rainiest year with 55.59 inches. That included an incredible 17.15 inches that fell just in the month of July.   Southern Vermont saw slightly below normal rainfall for the year. 

It was certainly an eventful year in Vermont, as we had several devastating floods, along with damaging wind storms, winter storms and oppressive heat. With climate change, extreme weather is becoming the norm in Vermont and many other places.

Expect plenty more weather weirdness in 2025. 

DECEMBER

December in Vermont broke the trend of warm months in 2024.  Most places saw temperatures near or just slightly below what is regarded as normal.  Remember, this is the "new normal," which is the average of temperatures between 1990 and 2020.

 Due to climate change those years were warmer than the 20th century average.  Had December, 2024's weather hit a half century ago, it would have been regarded as a little on the warm side. 

The biggest news of the month was when Burlington's temperature fell to minus 3 on December 22. That ended a record long 663 consecutive days above zero. 

A record or near record warm spell in the closing days of the month offset generally chillier than average conditions on several days either side of the Christmas holiday. 

Precipitation across Vermont was a little above average, which was good news after a remarkably dry autumn. Most of the precipitation fell on and around December 11, when 1.5 to as much as three inches of rain drenched the state.

Such a storm would have normally created some flooding, but it was so dry prior to the storm that there was little trouble with rainfall. 

 

Why Didn't The World Cool Down As Expected In 2024?

Earth was supposed a tiny bit cooler in 2024 than in
2023 but that ain't happening. Scientists are pondering
an apparent recent acceleration in the pace of
global warming. 

 Roughly at this time last year, I told you that 2023 would be the world's warmest year on record, due in large part to climate change, but 2024 would probably be slightly cooler.  

So much for that idea.

The final figures aren't in yet, but 2024 will certainly beat out last year as the world's warmest.

The Washington Post took a deep dive into what happened, and some scientists are worried we might have entered new, worse phase of climate change. But opinions are sharply divided on this idea.

 This year was supposed to be a tiny bit cooler than 2023 overall because an El Nino atmospheric and oceanic pattern ended. 

El Nino tends to boost global temperatures, so that El Nino teamed up with climate change to make 2023 especially torrid. 

One major factor is the oceans, which pretty much didn't cool off at all in 2024. That helped impart added warmth on land,

Scientists don't know whether this warmer ocean system is just a fluke that will correct itself in a few month or whether it's a still-poorly understood phenomenon that would make climate change even worse that thought.

Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, told WaPo that it's possible ocean temperatures could still crater in the next few months, and this whole year of hot oceans is just some weird natural variability. But, he added, "I think signs are certainly pointing toward fairly persistent warmth."

More often than not, the globe heating El Nino is followed by the world-cooling La Nina, an oceanic and atmospheric patter roughly the opposite of El Nino. But the expected La Nina phase, which should have been in full force by now, has sputtered.

Again, we don't know whether that's because of natural cycle or whether climate change is messing things up. 

Per WaPo:

"Whatever the mix of factors or how long they last, scientists say they lack of a clear explanation lowers their confidence that climate change will follow the established pattern that models have predicted.

'We can't real out eventually much bigger changes,' Hausfather said. 'The more we research climate change, the more we learn that uncertainty isn't our friend.'"

There's one major additional factor explaining the unexpected heat of 2023 and 2024 that scientists are paying close attention to: Clouds, Or rather the lack thereof .

New scientific research reveals that Earth has gotten less cloudy than it once was. Especially in the last couple of years. Fewer clouds, more solar radiation, more heat for you and me.

Once again, this question arises: Is the lack of cloud cover just a weird blip that will go away? Or is climate change evaporating some of Earth's clouds. If it's the latter, then climate change will continue to accelerate faster than most scientists expect. 

Or there's a third possibility, as NBC News reports. New pollution control in recent years means far less sulfur emissions from ships. Scientists has previous said that these new pollution controls did reduce particles in the atmosphere, which had a very minor warming effect the atmosphere. 

Now, says NBC and numerous other news outlets,  the lack of sulfur particles in the atmosphere is reducing the amount of low cloud cover over the oceans. That cloud cover help prevent the oceans from warming too fast. With some of those clouds gone, perhaps the ocean is now able to heat up faster. 

Which in turn could produce warmer, and sometimes wetter air currents making landfall on continents and extending well inland. 

In any event, the expected cooling after El Nino ended hasn't materialized. If that trend continues, the next El Nino could really make the hot global years of 2023 and 2024 seem downright chilly.

 

July Was (Somewhat Surprisingly) The World's 14th Consecutive Record Hottest Month

Very few places on Earth cooler than the 20th century
average through July, 2024.

Data came out this week that shows July was the 14th consecutive month that was the hottest on record for Planet Earth. 

The hottest July ranking was a bit of a surprise among experts. El Nino, which tends to boost global temperatures on top of the warmth of climate change,  has ended.  Chances were, at least according to the experts who watch these things, that July, 2024 would "only" be the second or third hottest.

But nope!  July was the hottest.

There are signs that this long streak of record hot months are ending. Global sea surface temperatures were only the second warmest on record. That ends a 15-month streak in which sea temperatures were record hot. 

Despite continued record heat waves around the world, it's questionable as to whether August will turn out to be another hottest month. It could be close.

After all, climate change sure isn't ending. 

And the last few months of the year could well end up being just a smidge cooler than the final months of 2023. The National Centers for Environmental Information says there's a 77 percent chance that 2024 will be the hottest year on record for Earth. There's a 100 percent chance it will score in the top five, as you might expect.  

Just under 14 percent of the Earth's surface had a record hot month, which is pretty impressive.

Once again, it was hard to find places on Earth that were cooler than what was average in the 20th century. The only places I could find that were ever so slightly chilly were southern South America, a spot west of the Korean Peninsula, another tiny spot between Alaska and Russia, and a small area in the central United States.  

The trend toward warmer months started decades ago, thanks to the release of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels that have made the world all-too toasty. If you are under the age of 48, you have never seen a July on Earth that was at least a little cooler than the 20th century average. 

UNITED STATES

The western and eastern United States were very
hot in July, 2024, but the middle of the nation
caught a break. 

In the United States, July turned out to be just the 11th hottest on record. California and New Hampshire had their hottest July on record. Another 18 states, including Vermont had one of their top ten hottest Julys. 

And as I wrote the other day, many cities on the West Coast and some in the East also had a record hot July.  

But the areas in the middle of the nation were cooler, partly offsetting the overall warmth in the United States. 

Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana were actually a bit cooler than average. They got a break from what was widely expected to be a hot July in that region. 

DISASTERS

Weather and climate disasters costing at least $1 billion in the United States continue to pile up. Four more such calamities were added to the list. They include Hurricane Beryl in Texas (no word if subsequent floods in Vermont and elsewhere in the Northeast also made the cut); New Mexico wildfires in June and July, and hail storms centered in and around Colorado on May 31-June 1. 

We now have a total of 19 weather and climate disasters so far in 2024 that cost at least $1 billion. 

This type of mega-expensive disaster is getting more common. The average annual of inflation-adjusted yearly billion dollar disasters between 1980 and 2023 is 8.5.  The average number in the most recent five years, i.e. 2019 to 2023 was 20.4 such events, says the National Centers for Environmental Information. 

It's pretty much a lock, then, that 2024 will have an above average number of these calamities. We don't know yet if Hurricane Debby cost $1 billion. Or if the massive Park Fire in California or other big wildfires burning out there will also cost more than $1 billion. 

Plus, hurricane season is still very young. Hurricanes making landfall in the United States tend to cause a lot of damage. (The latest hurricane, Ernesto, caused damage in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but is expected to have little effect on mainland U.S.). 

Other than the western wildfires, there doesn't appear to be any mega-storms or climate disasters on the horizon in the United States for at least the next few days. But the way things are going, you never know.  

Another Very Early Spring Risks Expensive U.S. Freeze Damage Later

A freeze last May 18 wilted the leaves that came out
too early in the season on this Williston, Vermont tree.

 Last spring, I took a chance and decided to plant a magnolia tree in my St. Albans, Vermont backyard.

It's supposed to be a rather freeze resistant variety, but you can only do so much. A freeze can spoil the magnolia flower show I'm hoping for.  

It looks like a freeze will do just that. Our insanely warm winter and early spring has resulted in giant buds already on that poor little magnolia tree. 

 If things go the way they almost certainly will, a hard freeze this week will kill off those potential flowers.

The tree will survive, but it won't be as pretty as I'd hoped.

My magnolia drama is just a tiny, tiny example of what farmers, orchardists, vineyard owners and gardeners throughout the eastern half of the nation are fearing. 

That warmest winter on record has been followed by record hot spells in March. Inevitably, the weather pattern has changed, at least temporarily. Normal March weather is hitting many areas, and that means frosts and freezes.  

That's usually not a problem this time of year, but this year is different. Plants are growing way too soon from the Canadian border to the South.   Freeze watches and warnings are in effect for Monday night and Tuesday morning for a large area across the Southeast U.S.  Temperatures in these areas are forecast to fall well into the 20s. 

Even if this cold snap doesn't do much harm, the risk of harsh freezes will last well into April in the South, and far into May for us northerners. 

This could all cause millions, perhaps billions of dollars in crop losses. 

It's become a pattern in recent years. Warm winters led to harsh spring freezes in 2012, 2017, 2023 and other recent years. Each of those episodes caused billions of dollars in crop losses

From apple growers in Michigan to peach farmers in Georgia, farmers are nervously watching the progress of spring cold fronts. It just takes one frigid night, like we had last May 18 in Vermont, to cause immense crop damage.

The fickle finger of climate change is partly responsible for these awful episodes of spring freezes.   Winter is generally the fastest warming season. The dry air of winter is more susceptible to heating up in a changed climate.  So plants grow too soon, turning  spring into a vulnerable season to say the least.

A hallmark of climate change is increased weather variability, so there you go. 

In some cases, the cold snap now moving into the eastern United States is a bit of a blessing. .There's reason to hope the colder weather won't be frigid enough to kill buds. It'll just keep 'em from growing for awhile. 

Michigan apple orchards are already budding, and a week of cold weather will shut down their growth for awhile. That buys time so that the buds will bloom a bit later, possibly helping them miss spring freezes.  

Here in Vermont, the chill expected to last all of next week will stall garden plants and such, so they don't grow big enough to suffer later spring cold snaps (though I suspect my magnolia is a lost cause)

Even if a frost doesn't kill stuff off, the early start to spring threatens other issues.  Plants that emerge too early might not be pollinated by insects, because it's too early for the insects to do their work. 

Pests like mosquitoes will emerge early and last longer, enabling insect-borne diseases to spread more easily. 

In my own yard, based on the behavior I'm seeing, it appears a robin has already laid eggs in a spruce tree in back of the house. That's too early. I have my doubts if those eggs/chicks will survive.

We have no way of knowing right now, of course, whether we will see more ofthose intense spring freezes. We might coast through the season with nothing much in the way of cold fronts.  

Damaging freezes have always been a threat in the spring. Nowadays, the threat has grown. 

California Blizzard, Texas Wildfires Northeastern/Vermont Heat All Interconnected

Enormous Texas wildfires, along with huge California
blizzard and eastern U.S. record warmth, are all
interconnected in one big weather pattern 

 Those huge Texas wildfires that's been in the news have gotten ridiculously large.

So much so, that it is the largest wildfire in Texas history. 

There's been plenty of weather excitement going on lately in the United States, and that state of affairs looks like it will go on for the next few days. 

Between an extreme blizzard in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, winter storms and high winds in the Rockies, some of the worst wildfires in Texas history, and record warmth in the Great Lakes and Northeast, it's an impressive weather pattern. 

Let's break down the news first, then tie it all together:

BLIZZARD

The blizzard in the Sierra Nevada is extreme even by their standards, where snowstorms dumping several feet of snow are fairly common. 

In this case, the long lasting storm is dumping up to 10 feet of snow, with wind gusts of 70 mph in populated areas, and gusts to 115 mph or more in the mountains. 

This is life threatening. For instance, people were warned in advance not to travel through the blizzard area, and sure enough most roads, including Interstate 80 in the region are shut down. People are reportedly trapped on Interstate 80. I'm not sure why.  Forecasters and the media have been advertising this blizzard on blast for days.   

Yosemite National Park shut down due to the storm. 

Power outages loom, and there's also an extreme avalanche danger. Snow is falling at times at rates of up to six inches per hour, and winds are combining to create highly unstable snow.  Thundersnow is also possible. 

The storm is powerful enough to affect lower elevations. A rare tornado touched down Friday about 20 miles northwest of Fresno, damaging an elementary school and toppling trees. 

High winds and heavy snow are also extending through a large area in several Rocky Mountain states.

WILDFIRES

Texas and other parts of the southern and central Plains are still dealing with horrible wildfires.

The largest and worst of the blazes, dubbed the Smokehouse fire, had covered 1 million acres by Friday. That's about 1/6th the side of Vermont. 

The fire had killed two people, destroyed perhaps dozens of homes and killed thousands of livestock. 

On Thursday a little snow and rain tamed the fire a bit, but it covered such a large area there was no way firefighters could put the whole thing out.  The Smokehouse Fire was only 15% contained by Friday afternoon. 

Now, the fire weather is back. For both today and Sunday, the Texas Panhandle will be warm, windy and super dry.  Those are perfect conditions for fires to spread. And also allow new fires to spring up and quickly get out of hand. 

The dangerous weather conditions might get a little tamer during the early week, but still be sufficient for fires to rage on. Then, forecasters said, it could get worse again by the end of the week.  

RECORD WARMTH

After a brief shot of winter weather, record warmth has made, or is making a comeback in the Plains, Great Lakes region and the Northeast. 

Temperatures should be back up into the low 70s in Chicago Sunday and Monday.   Minneapolis is expecting a high of 72 degrees on Sunday, which would be the city's earliest 70 degree reading on record. 

High temperatures in Minnesota and Wisconsin Sunday and Monday could break records for the date by a whopping 10 degrees, 

Buffalo, New York, known for its blizzards, is expecting a high near 70 on Monday. 

Here in Vermont, we might have some record highs tomorrow if skies clear fast enough, though that's iffy. . Record highs are also expected in the Green Mountain State Monday and possibly Tuesday. The forecast high in Burlington Monday is 61 degrees, which would be the third day within a week in which it makes it to 60 degrees or better.

TYING IT TOGETHER

Weather patterns are usually intertwined and the current situation is not much different. There's a big southward dip in the jet stream near the West Coast. This is allowing moisture streaming in from the central Pacific Ocean to mix with chilly air from the Gulf of Alaska, then slam headlong into California, and especially the Sierra Nevada range. 

The pattern is pretty persistent, which is part of the reason why the blizzard is lasting so long out there. The jet stream is pretty powerful out that way, too, which is why storminess is punching well inland through the Rockies.

From there, the jet stream curves northeastward again, forming a big northward bulge in the eastern United States and southern Canada.

This has pulled the storminess - in general - just north of Texas. That opens the door for warm, super dry and strong winds to blow in from the Desert Southwest into the Texas Panhandle. That, in turn led to the wildfires.

The jet stream kept heading north, allowing very warm air to surge northward into the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast and southeastern Canada.

Although the warmth has been occasionally interrupted by cold fronts attached to the storms passing north of Texas than on up toward the western Great Lakes, the weather pattern has allowed the warmth to keep surging back in to the eastern U.S. 

The overall weather pattern isn't that unusual for this time of year. However, the strength of the California storm, the intensity of the Texas fires and the heat in the East is very, very odd. 

I don't know if I can tie the California storms to climate change.  Also wildfires do occur in Texas this time of year, but the intensity of the winds and the near record warmth when the fires broke out is definitely odd.

The warm temperatures in the Midwest, Northeast and southeast Canada are insane. This weather pattern would have produced balmy temperatures with or without climate change. But I have to think the margin by which record highs are being broken, and the sheer number of record highs has to be climate influenced.

This weather pattern will break down eventually. In fact here in Vermont it looks like it will turn cooler later next week, but it will still be relatively mild. 

For millions of Americans, though, late February and early March will certainly be remembered for a long time. For Texans in particular, those memories will be painful.  n

"Year Without A Winter": Meteorological Winter Warmest on Record In Vermont, February Super Toasty

The just ending "Year Without A Winter" in Vermont
featured record warm temperatures, and a serious lack
of snow and lake ice. This rather springlike photo
was take January 4 at St. Albans Bay, Vermont. 

Meteorological winter in Vermont ended Thursday on an uncharacteristic note: It was kinda cold.

Not so for the winter as a whole. Meteorological winter - the period between December 1 and February 29 - was easily the warmest on record in Vermont. At least as measured in Burlington. 

Results in other Vermont towns may vary, but it was definitely among the very warmest, if not the warmest everywhere in the Green Mountain State. 

By any measure, it was toasty. The average temperature for the three months in Burlington was 30.7 degrees or 0.6  degrees above the previous record of 30.1 degrees in 2015-16.

The cloudy nature of most of the winter made the average overnight lows insanely warm.  Cloudy skies tend to keep nights warmer in general. While average high temperatures for this winter were only second warmest on record, overnight lows were by far the warmest. 

The average minimum temperature for the winter was 24.3 or 1.8 degrees above the previous record of 22.5 degrees in 2017-17.  That's a wide margin to break a record when you're including so many days. 

The warm winter means that each of the top four warmest winters in Burlington have happened since 2015-16.  Number 5 was recent, too as it was in 2001-02.  I can really see a climate trend there. 

Here are some other stats that really show how insane this "Year Without A Winter"   

--- This was only the second winter that failed to go below 0, and it had the warmest minimum, which was 3 degrees on January 22

--- Only 29 out of 91 days in Burlington failed to get above freezing.

---Just 19 days were cooler than average. Note that this is the "new" climate-change influenced average that is warmer than the way winters used to be. 

-- Only three days had six or more inches of snow on the ground. Thirty-four days had absolutely no snow on the ground. 

It's not just Burlington. It appears dozens of cities in the Northern Plains, Great Lakes region, parts of the Northeast and a swath of southern Canada will have also had their warmest winters on record. 

FEBRUARY

The month of February was certainly an enthusiastic part of the record warm winter of 2022-23.  The mean temperature in Burlington for the month was 30.2 degrees, which was 7.3 degrees warmer than the "new" average and third warmest February on record at Burlington. 

As part of all that re-writing of weather records by recent warm winters and springs, four days saw record highs in Burlington. The high on February 27 was the third warmest day on record for anytime in February.

Most other reporting stations in Vermont, including Rutland, Montpelier and St. Johnsbury, were all at least 7 degrees warmer than average for February. 

With just 0.66 inches of precipitation, it was also the eighth driest February on record.  Other Vermont weather stations were even more arid. Montpelier managed just 0.36 inches of precipitation. St. Johnsbury had 0.37 inches.  Pretty much everybody in Vermont had less than an inch of precipitation during February. 

At least February was somewhat sunnier than the near-constant overcast, fog and gloom of December and January. 

LOOKING AHEAD

Of course, we can't determine ahead of time how March and spring as a whole will play out. We do know March is coming in like a lamb.  The first week of the month will be far warmer than average, and not stormy at all. There might be some light precipitation here and there, but nothing substantial until at least next weekend.

Looking much further ahead to next winter, I almost guarantee we won't see a repeat.  It's hard to get that warm in the winter, even with climate change. I don't know whether next winter will be on the cold or mild side, but it won't be as warm as this one was. 

We'll probably even go below zero. Imagine that. 

 . 

Sharp Flip To Colder Vermont, And The Chill Will Have Staying Power

Harvesting beans just a week ago in 
my St. Albans, Vermont garden. Until
now, such a late harvest for beans
was unheard of in the Green Mountain State

Temperatures at dawn in the Champlain Valley this morning were in the mid-60s, which is actually warmer than normal for a July dawn, never mind the end of October. 

Enjoy it, because as of this writing at 8 a.m. Saturday, we have only a few more hours of it. Spoiler: We have a week of November like weather coming, and for some of us, there's snow in the forecast. 

The warmth this week has been impressive, though not as big-time as the beginning of the month, when we set all time record highs for the month. 

Still, Montpelier managed a record high of 71 degrees Friday, though records only go back to 1949. So it could have been warmer before that. There's evidence for that. Burlington fell short by one degree of tying a record  high of 74, set in 1947.

Across the pond, Plattsburgh had a record high for the date of 74, besting the old record of 72.

Rain showers were gathering in New York State and heading toward Vermont at dawn today. They won't amount to much, except they're part of that strong cold front heading our way. 

I wouldn't wear shorts and t-shirts out like I comfortably did yesterday. It was still summer wear weather  early this morning, but temperatures will fall this afternoon, especially the further northwest you go.

For instance, Burlington's forecast has an expectation of around 67 degrees at noon, but down to the mid-50s by dusk and mid-40s before midnight. 

And this the cold (but not at all abnormal!) weather begins. 

SUNDAY

Latest forecasts are holding off on the light rain for northern Vermont. But it still looks another rainy and dreary Sunday afternoon the further south you go. Rain won't be heavy, but with damp conditions and overcast everywhere, it won't be a nice day.

Summits will start to see snow Sunday afternoon or evening and snow levels will fall somewhat overnight, leading to a potentially interesting Monday for some of us

MONDAY

Although precipitation will not be heavy, it will be noticeable, especially as many of us see snow Monday morning.  This will be the first time this season some of us will have to drive in it. 

The snow, and the risk of slick roads, should be mostly at elevations of near 1,500  to 2,000 feet and above. That means most of us will be fine, though a few wet snow flakes could mix in all the way down to valley floors. 

Last leaves of autumn cling to trees near the 
Winooski River in Burlington Friday. 

Since none of us are used to driving in snow and some people don't have winter tires yet, there could be some spin outs on higher elevation roads and highways Monday morning. 

Think Route 4 at Mendon Mountain, Route 9 east of Bennington, possibly the high terrain along Interstate 89 near Brookfield, Route 17 over Buels Gore, places like that. 

Watch this one, though. I've seen surprises this time of year in which snow levels go lower than forecast. You never know. 

The rain and snow will taper off some in the afternoon, but it will remain cold

TUESDAY AND BEYOND

Most of Vermont has extremely oddly not had a freeze yet. That will change in the upcoming week.  Even the Banana Belt Champlain Valley should get below freezing on at least some mornings between Tuesday and Friday. 

That is extraordinarily late.  I found myself shockingly harvesting green beans last week, and I'm still getting healthy lettuce that was never protected from frost. 

Daytime highs should be in the 40s each day. 

This seems cold after our weirdly warm autumn so far. But the expected temperatures are only slightly cooler than normal, and it's been much colder than this in the past in late October. 

Record lows in the Champlain Valley are running in the 15 to 20 degree range, and record cold highs are in the low 30s.  We won't come remotely close to that. 

Despite the chillier weather to close October, it will still be among the top ten warmest Octobers on record, at least in Burlington. 

Sunday Really Was Record Shattering, And The Strangest November Weather Day

On a strange, record breaking weather day Sunday, I 
spotted this cloud formation in a line of storms over
Lake Champlain. Looks like a funnel cloud, but I couldn't
discern whether is was spinning.
Could be scud, a rain shaft, or just a weird cloud. 

Well, that was strange. Really strange.

Sunday in Vermont brought record-shattering warmth, strong winds and some heavy convective downpours that just don't happen this time of year at all. Until they did Sunday. It was definitely among the most bizarre weather days I've experienced in my 60 years in Vermont. 

RECORD HIGHS

First, lets go through just some of the many high temperature records that were set.

Sunday was by a wide margin the hottest November day on record in Burlington. Which is saying something, since records go all the back to 1884.

The high temperature was 76 degrees, setting a new all-time record high for the month of November. The old record was 75 degrees on November 2, 1950 and November 6, 1948.

The low temperature in Burlington Sunday was 62 degrees.  That's the highest minimum temperature for any date in November. The old record was 60 degrees on two recent dates: November 11, 2020 and November 5, 2022 (yes, on Saturday).

A low temperature of 62 degrees is exactly normal for the height of summer in mid-July. 

Breaking monthly all time high temperatures seems to be a trend in Burlington.  There's 138 years of data, But just in the last 27 years of data, since 1995, nine of the 12 months have seen their all time high temperatures broken or tied.  

The last time a monthly low temperature was tied was when it hit 33 degrees in June, 1986. re were no all time low monthly temperatures set during that period.  

So, onto other Vermont records set Sunday.  Montpelier broke its record high for the date with 74 degrees, and set the record for the entire month for its highest minimum temperature which was 62 degrees. 

Extreme warmth and humidity by November standards
fired up some unseasonably strong lines of downpours
in northwestern Vermont Sunday. Here's one of the 
storms approaching South Burlington. 

Same story in St. Johnsbury. A record high of 74 was set, and the low temperature of 65 degrees was the highest for the entire month of November. 

The hot weather wasn't just limited to Vermont, of course. Many records, several for the entire month of November were set in the Northeast and adjacent southeastern Canada.

More than two dozen cities from Maine to North Carolina saw record highs both Saturday and Sunday.

Fredericton, New Brunswick reached 76 degrees for a new November record. Halifax, Nova Scotia reached 71 degrees, breaking the record high for the month of November which had just been set a day earlier. Montreal reached 74 for a new November record there, as well. 

STRANGE STORMS

I don't know whether they keep records on dew points, but Sunday was also probably the most humid November day on record.  The dew point is a measure of how humid the air feels, especially in the summer. That dew point got as high as 63 degrees in Burlington, which would have made it a moderately humid day in July.

With all that moisture in the air and an approaching cold front, bands of convective showers (essentially thunderstorms that had little or no lightning) repeated passed through northwestern Vermont in the afternoon and evening. 

This type of summer thunderstorm type set up is extremely rare for November. Especially Sunday's conditions, where several lines of storms formed. I counted five downpours in St. Albans, for a rainfall total of 2.1 inches, which is incredibly impressive. 

Milton reported 2.14 inches of rain. Georgia clocked in with 1.89 inches. 

The fact that the rain came in short, intense bursts was especially remarkable for this time of year. Rainfall rates in St. Albans were more than a half inch per hour. Luckily, each downpour was pretty brief, so we didn't get into any flooding.  

Along the southern edge of the deepest storms, Burlington managed 0.72 inches. All this is much more rain than was expected. But then again, it's hard to predict November weather when the temperatures are so far off the rails. 

Yet another line of downpours gathering steam Sunday evening
on approach to St. Albans, Vermont. Rainfall totals here
in Franklin County were as high as two inches 

Sunday's storms didn't qualify as severe, but they were strong.  Some had gusts to 40 mph or so, along with those torrential downpours.  It was hard to tell, but I also spotted what might have been a brief funnel cloud over Lake Champlain west of Burlington. It had the look of one, but the overall storm was not severe. One of life's mysteries, I guess. 

 The storms tended to fizzle as they encountered somewhat drier, more stable air along and east of the Green Mountains. Many places in the southeastern two thirds of Vermont had less than a tenth of an inch of rain. 

COOLER WEATHER STILL DUE

I think it's safe to say it won't be 76 degrees again until next spring.  Today will still be pretty nice for November, with lots of unseasonable sun and temperatures at least in the low 60s.  But those readings will tend to fall this afternoon.

Forecasters are still expecting a shock to the system type day on Tuesday with highs only in the 40s. Again, that's not far from normal, but normal feels weird after this past weekend.

We'll see another dramatic warmup late this week, but it won't be as torrid as it was this weekend. Still, the expected highs in the low 60s are fairly impressive for November. 

A pattern changing storm late in the week and early next week might pull up some moisture from Subtropical Storm Nicole, so we could see some heavy-ish rain toward Friday and early Saturday.

Then November arrives for real. Starting Sunday, we'll have a long period of near normal to colder than normal temperatures, possibly lasting most of the month.  

Despite the incredibly hot start to November, 2022,, there's a chance that the month overall could end up slightly cooler than normal. That is if the last half of the month turns out to be as cool as some forecasts indicate. 

Lots Of New England November Heat Records But Reality To Set In Soon

People in Burlington, Vermont enjoy pleasant
outdoor dining amid record warmth Saturday. 

 Around 3 or 4 a.m. this morning, I awoke to find myself in a stuffy bedroom. It felt like the heat was on. And I could hear the dull, slight roar of the forced air heat flowing in. 

"Why would my husband turn on the heat on such a warm night," a groggily wondered. Then I realized. 

The husband of course didn't touch the heat. It was off. The problem was it was the warmest and arguably one of the most humid November pre-dawns on record.  In nearby Burlington, it was still 69 degrees at 4 a.m. That's above normal for that hour in July, never mind November!

That slight roar I  heard wasn't the forced air heat. It was the trees outside bending and protesting against the 40 mph gusts. 

By the way, my St. Albans, Vermont household has set some sort of record. I'm a wimp when it comes to a cold house, but we haven't turned the heat on once yet this autumn, much later than in other years. It's been that warm. 

Unfortunately, the heat will have to come on sooner rather than later. More on that in a moment. 

Sunday and this morning are the pinnacle of this warm stretch of weather that began in the third week of October.

All kinds of records were broken Saturday: A sampling: 

Tonks the weather dog rests near the open deck doors
during record warmth Sunday morning at our place
in St. Albans, Vermont. Gusty winds blew in leaves, so 
I guess I'll have to rake the living room floor. 

The low temperature in Burlington Saturday was 60 degrees.  That ties the record for the warmest overnight low for the entire month of November. 

If it stays at or above 61 degrees until midnight tonight, we'll have the warmest "low" of any November day since at least the 1880s.  Current forecasts do hold the temperature in the low 60s until at least midnight tonight. 

The high temperature Saturday in Burlington was 74 degrees, beating the old record by two degrees. That 74 was tied for the second warmest November day on record. 

Montpelier on Saturday had a record high of 74 degrees. St. Johnsbury set a new record high of 72 degrees. Plattsburgh, New York reached a record high of 71 degrees.

Springfield, Vermont and Lebanon, New Hampshire both reached a whopping 78 degrees. I don't know for sure whether those are record highs, but they probably are. 

Portland, Maine reached 75 degrees it's hottest temperature for any November day on record. Caribou, Maine, with a reading of 73 degrees, also broke its all time November high. 

This morning's warmth is also wild for how widespread it is across Vermont. Usually in this weather set up, the Champlain Valley is quite warm, but the rest of the state is much cooler early in the morning. This Sunday morning, dawn broke with temperatures in the 60s to around 70 statewide.

The notorious cold spot of Island Pond was at 64 degrees. The usually even colder Saranac Lake, New York was 65 degrees. Truly bonkers weather. 

A sign of things to come?  Forecasters have all of the 
Lower 48 except the southern tip of Florida to be 
colder than average in their latest 8 to 14 day forecast 
which covers November 13-19.

 It's so warm this morning we left the doors to the deck wide open to let the dogs out and a breeze in.  Unfortunately, this move also allowed a lot of leaves to blow into the house, and now I have to rake the living room and kitchen floors. 

 More record highs are likely in a few areas as a cold front slowly edges toward us, and ultimately makes it way through late tonight.

We won't see any really chilly air immediately, as the cold is lagging far behind the front. You won't really feel it in earnest until Tuesday, when high temperatures will only reach the 40s.  As I said yesterday, that will feel shocking, but such weather is perfectly normal for this time of year. 

That brief chill on Tuesday will quickly be replaced by milder weather during the middle or end of next week. But it wont be nearly as warm as it has been this weekend.

Plus, that Tuesday chill is a taste of a coming pattern change that will finally - sorry I have to say this - bring wintry weather to us in about a week or eight days or so. This won't be hard core winter weather by any means. 

But get your fall outdoor chores done this week. At least a little snow, and some consistent freezing temperatures are on the way. At least the ski areas will finally have a chance to gear up for the season and start making snow.

A Dug Nap Weather Outlook: Still Watching A Gusty And Tricky Later Week Storm

This is just one of very many simulations of
how the storm later this week might play out.
A little hard to see (click on the map to make
it bigger and easier to see). But this
radar depiction is early Friday morning
before dawn. It still has us raining in Vermont 
(green and yellow) but freezing rain lurks
just to our northwest (red stuff).  It's not
clear yet when the ice and snow get to us
and how much we might get. 

There's some unexpected light snow around early this morning in Vermont, so be a bit careful on the trip into work this morning.

Even with that bit of snow, today and tomorrow will be the cold calm before the storm here in Vermont. 

Exactly what kind of storm that will be and when is the question. But at this point, we have strong, possibly damaging winds, a squirt of near record high temperatures, rain, mixed precipitation, ice, snow and crashing temperature with a flash freeze all possible.  

It all reminds me of that famous Dug Nap art depicting a typical Vermont weather forecast that calls for any and all kinds of extreme weather. 

There will be adjustments to the real Vermont forecast, of course.  The trickiest part will be a strong cold front mixed into this windy mix. 

The following is mostly from how the National Weather Service in South Burlington thinks this might play out. At least given current information. 

This fun starts Wednesday, as we're squeezed between high pressure departing to the east and low pressure off the the northwest. The low pressure in Canada won't affect us directly, but since we're in a squeeze play, it'll get awfully windy in spots by Wednesday afternoon. 

Gusts in some areas, especially the Champlain Valley, will probably go over 50 mph, which is enough to cause a few scattered problems with tree branches and power lines. It will turn warmer during these gusts, rising from the single numbers before dawn Wednesday to 40 degrees or so by afternoon

The slamming winds like that will continue Wednesday night as it stays warm.

Thursday will be an interesting day, too.  Winds will continue to blow as a cold front to our west and northwest gets really constrasty. (Yes, "contrasty" isn't a word, but I decided it is now).  East of the front, temperatures will be near record highs. Immediately behind the cold front, it's winter.

Meanwhile, a storm will be gathering in the central Plains, creating a risk of severe weather and possible tornadoes in the South.  The storm will ride northeastward along the cold front and be somewhere near us later Thursday night or early Friday morning.

It looks like we'll be in that squirt of warm air during the day Thursday. It won't rain all that much, but the near record balminess and high humidity for this time of year should eat away at the remaining snow pretty quickly, especially in the valleys. 

The current record high in Burlington on Thursday is 53 degrees, and the record high that day in Montpelier is 52 degrees, so both are in jeopardy.

Then we get to Thursday night.  If the storm goes a little further to our west than anticipated, it would stay warm and rainy most of the night into early Friday morning.  If it comes closer more ice and snow would mix in.

Remember that front that will have such a contrast.  At some point, it will come through.  If the storm moves close to us, maybe taking a track over northwest Vermont, a nasty slug of ice, then snow and sharply falling temperatures will be a problem overnight Thursday into Friday for much of Vermont, especially the northern and western half. 

If the storm goes further west, we'll still contend with those crashing temperatures and a flash freeze Friday, but a much smaller proportion of the precipitation would be ice and/or snow.

The bottom line is Friday morning could be pretty damn tricky for a lot of us.  Exactly how is still way open for debate.  

Southern Tornadoes, More Severe Weather; Here in Vermont, VERY Changeable, Windy

House destroyed by tornado in Alabama Thursday.
Photo by Butch Hill 

As expected, Thursday was a horrible, tragic day in the South, with so far five confirmed death from tornadoes. Videos at the bottom of this post. 

Tragic weather in the South, and active weather here in Vermont, for sure. As usual, we'll get into the Vermont weather in a bit, but we'll grab the national weather news of the day first:

SOUTHERN TORNADOES

As forecasters had feared, at least two of the tornadoes were intense, long lasting and fast moving. 

One tornado tracked from near Tuscaloosa to the Birmingham metro area early in the afternoon.  

Another large tornado raced across central and northeastern Alabama in the late afternoon and evening. Radar images showed this tornado hoisting debris into the air for a good hour as it plowed through the state. At least two supercells thunderstorms traveled at least 100 miles, with tornadoes on the ground for almost all of that distance.

The deaths included three members of one family in Ohatchee, Alabama, according to press reports

ABC33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama is reporting that Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade is saying more fatalities are likely.  

Yesterday, I noted that the home of revered Alabama meteorologist and tornado expert James Spann was hit by a tornado.  His wife was home, but received her husband's tornado warning and went into a storm shelter the couple had installed to withstand the strongest tornadoes.

She's fine, and Spann later reported that damage to his home wasn't as bad as initially feared, and not as bad as some homes in the neighborhood, which were extensively damaged or destroyed. 

After learning his wife was safe, Spann returned to the air, and provided many more hours of storm coverage.

So far, there have been 24 reports of tornadoes.

The South is not out of the woods yet. A second storm is set to produce severe weather Saturday in parts of the Mid-Mississippi Valley, especially Tennessee, and in the Southeast Sunday. 

After that, severe weather should go pretty quiet for a few days at least. 

VERMONT IMPACTS

Expect a LOT of changes in the weather for the next few days.  We will be roller-coastering, which is fairly typical for this time of year. 

Crocuses enjoying record warmth in my St. Albans,
Vermont yard on Thursday. 

Thursday was certainly one for the record books. Burlington had a high of 73 degrees, besting the old record for the date by five degrees. 

Plattsburgh, New York soared to an impressive 76 degrees, beating the old record for the date by a whopping 11 degrees.

Other places around here set high temperature records by wide margins. Montpelier reached 70 degrees, besting the old record by six degrees. St. Johnsbury got up to 69 degrees, shattering the old record of 57. 

Temperatures were remarkably warm for this time of year as dawn broke. Most of Vermont was in the 50s.

Although a flood watch remains in effect, rainfall has so far been a disappointment as of early this morning.

The first wave of rain that was due to come in has, as of 7 a.m., produced less than a tenth of an inch of rain in most of Vermont, although the far north has had a bit more.  A little more rain was coming through as I write this. 

We still have shots at more rain today, so it won't be as if we completely missed out on needed rain. 

The flood watch is out mostly due to runoff from snow in the mountains, aided and abetted by what rain we do get.  The upper reaches of the Missisquoi River up near North Troy are under a flood warning, as minor flooding has been noted up there.

Things are still looking pretty interesting this afternoon.  Ahead of a cold front, showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop.  A few storms are forecast to become strong. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has kept Vermont in a marginal risk for severe storms today.  That means there could be isolated damaging wind gusts. 

As I mentioned last evening, the Storm Prediction Center has a very, very low, but not zero chance of a brief tornado in Vermont today. I'll stress that the chances of that happening are quite slim. If there's any localized damage from strong thunderstorm wind gusts this afternoon, it will almost certainly be from straight-line winds.

Speaking of wind, you'll notice over the next week or so it'll be frequently windy. Those March winds will close out the month and continue on into April. Behind the cold front this evening and tonight, strong northwest winds will drive in much colder air, but nothing weird for late March.

The winds later today and tonight could gust to 50 mph, especially in eastern Vermont, so a wind advisory is up for those areas. 

That new storm coming in Sunday will give us another slug of rain, and also perhaps some gusty south winds that day.  But at least it will be sort of mild for this time of year - low 50s. 

Then, as the storm strengthens near and northeast of Maine, we'll get another blast of northwest winds Sunday night and Monday.  We'll probably even see a little back-side snow out of this, but accumulations won't amount to much. Still, Monday will be raw.

Then, we go well above normal with temperatures again, going to 60 degrees or better by Wednesday. Then, another windy storm system, and back to March chill to open up April late next week. 

Tornado videos:

A twister roaring through Pelham, Alabama Thursday:

People in this truck were trying to drive to a tornado shelter when the tornado caught up with them. Very luckily, they're fine. But probably in the market for new underwear:

News report from the Eagle Point subdivision near Birmingham. Some substantial brick homes leveled, while houses next door are OK: