US Weather Forecast: Early Spring, Extended Winter Season Expected in Some Parts of the Country

An early spring and extended winter season are in store for some parts of the United States, according to meteorologists on Wednesday, January 31. As the 2023-2024 North American winter season draws near, the US weather forecast shows that potential twisters in the Tornado Alley and stormy weather conditions could occur but not on a nationwide scale. Some states may still experience winter weather for weeks.

The forecast comes after the US experienced a "deep freeze" over the past month, where deadly winter storms and blizzard conditions snarled travel in multiple states, as well as resulted in casualties. Amid extreme cold temperatures, US weather authorities acknowledged the impact of an Arctic blast or cold air mass from the Arctic region on the winter weather seen in the country in January 2024.

The meteorological spring is set to start on March 1, while the astronomical spring's onset on the equinox occurs on March 19. However, long-term forecasts indicate that thunderstorms may transpire starting late February to the beginning of March. In recent years, the US spring season was marked by damaging, life-threatening tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms for some states.

US Weather Forecast

The US weather forecast for an early spring or an extended winter season will be determined in early February, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. This means that long-range forecasters on Friday, February 2, may further predict where and which areas will experience warmer conditions or the chill winds of the winter, which could be extended for six more weeks.

The US could experience a "stormy pattern" starting at the end of February and start of March but this would not be the case across the country, according to Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather's meteorologist and long-range forecaster. Specifically, springlike weather could arrive late in over a dozen states across the southern US. Meanwhile, an early halt to winter is possible in the northern tier of the country.

Early Spring Season

While the official US spring season is still relatively far, last year's season saw parts of Arkansas, Ohio, Maryland, New York, and Texas saw pre-season spring conditions on record as early as the last week of February 2023. According to previous reports, 2023's early spring arrived at least 20 days earlier than usual, which may also occur this year, based on the AccuWeather spring forecast.

For this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that spring 2024 will see the El Nino weather phenomenon gradually weaken and transition to neutrality from the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In the US, the impact of El Nino is normally to suppress Atlantic hurricanes and cause wetter conditions in the South and warmer conditions in the North during winter.

Regardless, the upcoming US spring season is expected to spawn moder to powerful tornadoes in different parts of the country, including the Tornado Alley which consists of northern Texas to Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado.