March 21, 2004
By Chris Vaccaro, USATODAY.com

Summer-like heat setting records in parts of the West will slowly abate this week as winter makes a brief return to the East. With no major storms forecast through Wednesday, travelers will be spared from weather-related delays on the roads and at the airports.

Over the past two weeks, high pressure has driven warm easterly winds over the West resulting in temperatures more than 15 degrees above average. Hundreds of record highs have been set, especially in California and Arizona. And the record heat continued Saturday:

• In Sacramento, the record high of 84 marked the 13th consecutive day with a high of 80 or higher. It also was the 12th day with a temperature that tied or broke a record. Average high for mid March is 67.

• The high of 91 in Las Vegas was earliest the city recorded a temperature of 90 or higher. The previous record was set March 31, 1966.

• Death Valley, Calif., one of the nation's hottest locations, recorded its earliest 100-degree day breaking the previous record of March 25 set in 1930.

Topping Saturday's list of hot temperatures in the USA was Thermal, Calif., where it was 101 degrees. It wasn't until May 3 when the nation had it's first triple-digit high of 2003. In fact this year had the earliest high of 100 degrees or higher since 1997 when Monrovia, Calif., hit 102 on March 19.

Record and near record heat will continue in the Southwest Monday, but temperatures across will gradually cool this week.

It's a different story in the East, as northerly winds from Canada ushers colder air into areas from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic Seaboard.

Monday's high temperatures will be as much as 15 degrees colder-than-average from Missouri to the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast will be as much as 25 degrees below average.

Adding to insult: Up to 5 inches of snow is possible by Monday morning downwind of Lake Ontario in western New York and northern New England. Wind also will add to the chill in the Northeast through midday Monday.

Southern residents also are on alert for freezing temperatures both Sunday night and Monday night. Freeze advisories have been issued in parts of northern Arkansas, Tennessee, northern Alabama and the western Carolinas where the growing season has begun, yet subfreezing temperatures are possible.

Come Tuesday, southerly winds will return to the East allowing temperatures to begin climbing back toward average.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2004-03-21-confused-seasons_x.htm