Weathercatch: March flirts with spring while hanging on to a fading winter

Hello, March. Have we ever welcomed the arrival of this particular month as much as in 2021? Driven indoors by a pandemic and a February dominated by a blast of Arctic air, gusty winds and multiple snow falls, many of us are itching to spend more time outdoors without the need for heavy coats, clunky boots or propane heaters.

This week, Mother Nature is providing a little relief from that itch. In a dramatic turnaround from February, a much-needed touch of spring is in the air.

Monday marked the first day of meteorological spring and the start of a warmup in the Inland Northwest. Day by day, temperatures have inched upward and melted much of February’s snow. Under blue skies and scattered white clouds, we’ve enjoyed high temperatures in the low- to upper 50s.

This warm, sunshiny weather is expected to peak Friday with a high of 60 degrees or higher in Spokane, a first for the year. The average high temperature for the date is 48 degrees.

But don’t expect to be knee-deep in tulips just yet. Not surprisingly, a cold front off the coast will swing through early next week. And though it won’t launch us back to the days of nippy temperatures, howling winds and a big snow dump, the mercury is expected to drop back into the mid-40s.

The change isn’t surprising because March is notorious for flirting with spring without fully letting go of winter. As we transition from the cold, short days of winter into the longer, milder days of spring, cold air still lingers to the north as warm air approaches from the south. This sets the stage for weather conditions that can vary vastly from week to week, day to day or even within a single day.

Do you happen to remember March 2020? It began somewhat like this March, with above normal temperatures and sunshine. But conditions teetered from mild and clear to cool and snowy all month long, culminating on March 31 with almost every weather condition packed into a single day: snow, rain, graupel, thunder and lightning, winds and even a tornado near Richland.

In 2019, the average temperature in Spokane was 34.2 degrees, making it the sixth coldest March in the city’s recorded history.

Conversely, March 2015 was remarkably pleasant, with near-daily sunshine and temperatures that ran about 6 degrees above normal.

This year’s sudden onset of springlike weather is expected to unravel next week, with cooler temperatures and opportunities for some rain.

The March outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center calls for the month’s temperatures to run slightly below normal. This forecast is largely attributed to a lingering La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which is typically associated with cool spring weather here in the Pacific Northwest.

Although it’s likely we’ll see more warm, sunny days this month, they’ll be more sporadic than constant. Even so, the leaves will sprout and tulips will bloom.

But you still might want to keep that winter coat close by.