March Temperature Outlook Above Average In Washington: Forecast

Hoping for an early spring this year? The Pacific Northwest could be in luck, according to some recent forecasts.

In other parts of the country, some big changes are in store for the weather forecast in March, The Weather Company reports. While spring officially begins March 19, meteorological spring begins March 1, as milder temperatures start to become more widespread, The Weather Company said.

All 48 contiguous states originally were expected to see a warm start to March, but a revised forecast suggests that may not be the case across a large portion of the lower 48.

"The historically-strong polar vortex will likely persist well into March (via historical correlations and dynamical model forecast) but there has been enough upstream ridging to drive periodic cold shots into the central and eastern U.S.," The Weather Company wrote.

Washington is among several coastal states expecting temperatures near or slightly above average next month.

Most of the Northeast, as well as areas west of the Rockies, can expect temperatures near or slightly warmer than average, The Weather Company reports. The most above-average conditions will be found in Central and Southern California into southwestern Nevada and southwestern Arizona, the forecasters said.

Historically, the average temperature in March for Washington is 38.6 degrees.

Nationally, temperatures are expected to be below average from parts of the Dakotas to the upper Mississippi Valley, into the Tennessee Valley and north Georgia, The Weather Company reports. A widespread area from Montana eastward to the Great Lakes and into the Southern states will likely see temperatures near or slightly below average in March.

The shift in forecast is due to a historically strong polar vortex that will persist through the month ahead, Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, said in the report. The latest computer models suggest this March could be similar to last year’s, which saw below-average temperatures in parts of the Northwest, Plains and portions of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.

However, forecasters also said the pattern could still shift.

According to NOAA's 3-month seasonal outlook, the odds currently favor warmer-than-normal temperatures in Western Washington from March through May.