Warmer Times Ahead!

2016-03-05 11:57:42.000 – Andrew Henry, Summit Intern

After the recent snow and cold weather to start the month, some of you may be asking when warmer weather will return to the White Mountains. The recent Arctic blast has been pretty impressive on the summit! This shift started out with snow and temperatures on the mild side, topping out in the upper 20’s Wednesday morning.   That quickly changed as a strong cold front traversed the region through the day Wednesday. Arctic air filtering in behind the front allowed temperatures to fall to around 10 below by Wednesday evening and temperatures continued to fall through the night, bottoming out at 20 below Thursday morning. High temperatures Thursday remained below zero with high winds making it feel even colder on exposed skin. Temperatures moderated a bit Friday but remained on the chilly side with highs only in the single digits.  Temperatures will remain chilly through the weekend before improving early next week.  

A return flow around a strong ridge of high pressure centered over the Carolinas will allow temperatures to begin a warming trend on Monday. However, a low passing to the north of the state Monday afternoon will allow cool air to hang on north of the Presidentials and may bring a light wintry mix to the higher summits. The true warm-up will come Tuesday with highs on the higher summits approaching the 40 degree mark as the ridge builds over the region and a southwesterly flow develops, aiding in pumping warm air northward into New England. After the recent cold stretch I am looking forward to the warmer times ahead! The spring-like conditions will not last long though with unsettled weather expected to return for the second half of the week, starting with the passage of a cold front Wednesday. Mountain weather is subject to change rapidly and it is always wise to check the most up to date forecast information when planning on spending time in the mountains.

Andrew Henry, Summit Intern