Spring Has Sprung. NOT!

As March draws to a close, it's tempting to look forward to milder weather for spring.  Not so fast.  For a few days in early April, it's going to feel a little colder.  Well, maybe more than a little colder.

After we'd mostly avoided the bitter arctic chill this past winter, the polar vortex is going to send a good chunk of cold air for a good deal of the lower forty-eight.  The temperature map from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for April 3-9 says it all.  

It should be noted that, while the deeper blues showing below-normal temperatures suggest temperatures far colder than the areas shaded in lighter blues, that does not indicate how cold it's going to get.  The blue colors show the probability of below-normal temperatures for specific parts of the country, just as the shades of orange show the probability of above-normal temperatures in the West. The deeper the color shades, the greater the probability.

That said, some weather forecasters are expected temperatures to be ten to fifteen degrees Fahrenheit below normal in the greater New York area, and while that sounds foreboding,  normal high temperatures for the the greater New York area are about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning in will be in the mid-40s in the afternoon.  It will be cold enough for snow overnight, though.

Speaking of which, here's NOAA's precipitation forecast map for the same week.  

Precipitation - which may be below normal as far north as central New Jersey - looks to be no worse than usual, and it will likely be hit or miss according to the latest forecasts.  However, although there is at this time  a chance of a bit of snow early in the week, there is no indication of a major April snowstorm like the one that hit the greater New York area in 1982 (though some weather geeks on social media seem to be hoping for one!). The coldest of the polar air should be gone fairly quickly - after Tuesday, April 5 - but it will still remain chilly through Saturday, April 9.

This shouldn't be a big deal, although it might be.  We'll just have to get through whatever Mother Nature decides to send us.