What Will Spring Bring?

East Tennessee has been enjoying an early taste of spring temperatures during the month of February. As the month closes out this week, all eyes are on the thermometer to see if the trend will hold or if old man winter will make another round. If predictions hold true, and that is a big if in the East Tennessee region, temperatures should be below normal for the first month of spring. For those that are already seeing the first signs of spring in the flowers and trees, that news may be a bit disheartening. While climate prediction specialists are calling for below average temperatures in March, most are non committal about just how low it will go.

The average high temperature for the month of March is 62 degrees, locally. Recent weeks have brought several near record breaking temperatures to the area, with multiple days soaring well above the average of 53 degrees for February. According to those in the business of predicting the weather, a colder than average spring in on tap for the eastern half of the United States, thanks largely to a polar vortex split that is one part over Canada and another part over Europe. This polar vortex split will find Tennessee on the bottom of the below average temperature split but with a little luck and a subtle shift there could be a dramatic change and East Tennessee could find itself with a near normal spring season.

Whatever the future days bring, be it the warm days that the area has enjoyed through much of February or the return of winter to the area, the final week of February puts seven more days between the true beginning of spring and Jack Frost’s wintry grasp. For anything more accurate than a wish and a good, educated guess, it will take looking out the window which is always the most accurate weather gauge in East Tennessee.