The map above has nothing to do with the little story I'm about to tell you.I'll get to its relevance in a moment.
First let's go back in time to March 29, 1970, which was Easter Sunday. On thatday, southwestern Connecticut was hit by the biggest late-season snowfall I canremember. The entire scope of the storm went all the way back into Pennsylvaniaand western Maryland.
In Newtown, Conn., the storm started at daybreak as a mix of rain and sleet.
Soon it was snowing, and by midmorning it was snowing very hard. The stormcontinued throughout the day with lightning and thunder occurring during thelate afternoon and early evening. For a budding meteorologist, this was prettyexciting to say the least.
Late-season snowfalls are often wet and slushy, but this storm wasn't. Duringthe daylight hours, the temperature kept dropping through the 20s, and byevening it was in the teens. Though it was late March, the next day looked likethe middle of January.
The total snow accumulation at my home in Newtown was about 12 inches.
So why did I tell you all this? Actually, I really don't know other than it'sclose to the anniversary date, and it has left an indelible memory.
Perhaps I got inspired by the cold, snowy look of the current weather pattern.
The map above clearly shows what I mean. This storm won't be a big one, but afew inches are possible anywhere from the central Plains to themid-Appalachians.
Furthermore, it is going remain quite cold for the entire weekend withtemperatures running 15 to 20 degrees below normal from the Midwest to NewEngland. The reason why it's so cold now is shown below. See that big "H" overGreenland? That is what is forcing the jet stream toward the south, and with itcomes all the cold air.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
