As winter weather makes a brief return to parts of the United States next week, many Americans will find themselves reaching for their winter coats once again. After weeks of spring warmth, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing in much of the eastern half of the country.
This Tuesday marks the official start of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, following the warmest winter on record. However, Mother Nature seems to have other plans as spring will feel more like winter early next week. More than half of the US population will experience temperatures at or below freezing.
The cold snap is not just an anomaly, but it also poses a risk to agricultural interests in the Southeast, where the growing season is already underway. Many southern cities will still have maximums of -6° this Saturday, but temperatures are expected to plummet as cold weather moves south and east over time.
Cities like St. Louis, Atlanta, Memphis, and Huntsville are forecasted to experience temperatures more typical of mid-January rather than late March. The cold air will continue to spread eastward into Tuesday, impacting much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
To protect plants from the severe frost, experts recommend bringing them indoors or covering them with sheets, towels, or blankets to trap radiant heat from the soil. Despite the chilly forecast, temperatures are expected to rebound fairly quickly in the Southeast by the end of the week as spring makes its triumphant return.
While the return to winter weather may come as a shock to many Americans, it serves as a reminder that Mother Nature always has the final say when it comes to the changing seasons.