By Kevin Rogers
Staff Writer
During a time of year when students are usually bracing for a late snowstorm, abnormally warm weather the last week has surprised the St. Bonaventure community as well as much of the Central and Eastern United States.
Since March 11, area high temperatures have exceeded 60 degrees Fahrenheit each day. According to averages released by The Weather Channel’s website, the area’s historic average high temperature for March was 42 degrees. As of March 21, the average high temperature for March in the area was 54.8 degrees.
Sophomore Nick Turgeon said he was surprised by the abrupt shift in temperature, but he acclimatized quickly to the change.
“I am glad spring has sprung,” he said. “It was sudden, but I was very ready for it.”
From March 11 to March 21, the average high temperature was 67.2 degrees. In contrast, the historic average high temperature for the period was 38.7 degrees, according to wunderground.com.
Sophomore Sulaiman Muflahi said the unusual temperatures haven’t bothered him, preferring the heat to the usually cold March weather.
“It’s better than being 30 degrees below the historic average,” Muflahi said.
The warm-weather trends haven’t been limited to Western New York. According to a March 19 Mother Jones article, more than 2,200 March temperature records have been broken this month.
According to Dr. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist and writer for Weather Underground, the unusual temperatures can be explained by a ridge of high pressure over the Central and Eastern U.S. The phenomenon is known as a blocking pattern.
The blocking pattern is causing jet streams — fast-flowing air currents — to bend south over the Western U.S. The jet stream serves as a boundary between colder northern air and warm southern air. The bending of the jet stream has brought warm weather to the Eastern U.S., while bringing cold weather and snow to some Western areas of the U.S.
Masters said it was common for the jet stream to get stuck in a blocking pattern, but not for the length experienced this March.
On his blog, Masters wrote, “If the current model forecasts prove correct, a high-pressure ridge over the U.S. bringing heat this intense and long-lasting in March will be unprecedented in the historical record, going back to 1872.”
As the blocking pattern dissipates, temperatures would drop, according to online Weather Channel forecasts. As of March 21, forecasts predicted area temperature highs would remain in the mid-50s.
Despite the drop, these temperature highs would still exceed historic averages by roughly 10 degrees.
Though Turgeon said he was eager to take advantage of the current weather, he didn’t seem upset by the news temperatures would decrease.
“I’m going to try to soak up as much sun as I can right now,” Turgeon said. “Fifty degrees isn’t too cold, right?”
roogerskd10@bonaventure.edu
