Polar Vortex Predicted To Affect March Temps: Ohio Weather

CLEVELAND — Hoping for an early spring this year? Ohio resident shouldn’t get their hopes too high, according to one recent forecast.

Big changes are in store for the weather in March, The Weather Company (The Weather Channel) reports. All 48 contiguous states originally were expected to enjoy a warm March, but a revised forecast suggests that may not be the case.

Ohio is among several states expecting slightly below average temperatures this month. Temperatures have already fluctuated between biting cold and warm-enough to inspire hope for an early spring.

Current forecasts, from the National Weather Service, say snow and plunging temperatures will hit Northeast Ohio this week. Snow is possible Wednesday and Friday and temperatures will oscillate between mid-40s and mid-20s throughout the week.

The average March temperature in Ohio is typically about 35 degrees.

Nationally, temperatures are expected to be below average from parts of the Dakotas to the upper Mississippi Valley, into the Tennessee Valley and north Georgia, The Weather Company reports. A widespread area from Montana eastward to the Great Lakes and into the Southern states will likely see temperatures near or slightly below average in March.

Most of the Northeast, as well as areas west of the Rockies, can expect temperatures near or slightly warmer than average, The Weather Company reports. The most above-average conditions will be found in Central and Southern California into southwestern Nevada and southwestern Arizona, the forecasters said.

The shift in forecast is due to a historically strong polar vortex that will persist into March, Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, said in the report. The latest computer models suggest this March could be similar to last year’s, which saw below-average temperatures in parts of the Northwest, Plains and portions of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.

However, forecasters also said the pattern could still shift, so people shouldn’t completely give up hope for a warm March.