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Mid-Atlantic Weather Whash: 50-Degree Plunge and Snow!
13 Mar
Summary
- Temperatures dropped up to 50 degrees in 24 hours.
- Snow fell less than a day after mid-80 degree heat.
- Most extreme temperature drops seen in Mid-Atlantic.
A powerful cold front delivered a harsh shock to the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, abruptly ending a recent spell of warm, spring-like weather. Temperatures in some locations plummeted by as much as 40 to 50 degrees within a 24-hour period.
On Wednesday, Washington D.C. recorded a record high of 86 degrees, with temperatures remaining unusually warm into Thursday morning. However, by noon on Thursday, the mercury had dropped to 32 degrees, and snow began to fall, a stark contrast to the previous day's conditions.
The East Coast witnessed a similar dramatic weather upheaval. New York City experienced its earliest 80-degree day on Tuesday, only to see light snow and temperatures in the 30s by Thursday afternoon. Richmond, Virginia, saw temperatures drop from 87 degrees to 32 degrees in just 24 hours, marking the largest temperature difference on record for the area since 1948.
While meteorologists had anticipated the shift, the speed and extremity of the change were remarkable. This "weather whiplash" was most severe in the Mid-Atlantic, with accumulating snow reported from Washington D.C. down to southwestern Virginia and parts of North Carolina. Such extreme swings are typically more common in the Central U.S. than in the Eastern region.
