The chill in the air is rather brisk and a light dusting of snow covered the ground this morning....Winter's grip is still holding tight despite being the end of March.....but isn't this what March used to be like? We've gotten so used to an early Spring that now when an "average" Winter/Spring comes along, it stings a little. :) Last March we were basking in record warmth with multiple 80+ degree days and farmers were planting earlier than ever hoping for a bumper crop. This March, a weak La Nina weather pattern along with a strongly negative Arctic Oscillation signal has kept up much colder than the average. The Arctic Oscillation (AO) means this: The negative phase allows cold air to plunge into the Midwestern United States The positive phase brings the opposite conditions, steering ocean storms farther north and bringing wetter weather to Alaska Courtesy: Climate Prediction Center - March 26, 2013 The climate models project the above forecast and
The views and expressions of Meteorologist and Storm Specialist Jennifer Rukavina in Paducah, KY.