Polar Vortex Heading to Midwest, Atlantic Seaboard Early Next Week; Snow and Bitter Cold Likely; Crops, Opening Day Will Feel Impact

BALTIMORE, Maryland March 29, 2016 - The Cherry Blossoms of early spring have come and gone in our Nation's Capital.  Plans in Baltimore are centering on next week's Orioles' Opening Day.  While cool and even cold mornings are still part of the usual weather in these parts, winter has lost its tenacious grip and all thoughts, even those belonging to the not-so-young, have turn assuredly to spring.  As it turns out, the turn, this year at least, is way too early.  Winter still lurks.  Oh, does it ever!  The new winter-scary word for the weather profession is being used to describe next week's weather: "Polar Vortex."

A Polar Vortex is coming to the Midwest and Atlantic Seaboard early next week.  If you have succumbed to wishful thinking and already planted back yard tomatoes, dig them up and re-pot them.  Even so-called cold weather crops like cabbage and broccoli will be in dire jeopardy.

According to the commercial weather service Accu-Weather, the frigid weather will sweep through the upper Midwest of These United States  on Friday and early Saturday.  Night temperatures in northern Minnesota will hit single digits.  The cold will be in Chicago by Sunday and states like Ohio and West Virginia by early Monday.  All of the Atlantic Seaboard north of North Carolina will plunge into the deep freeze by Monday night.

The Baltimore Orioles are heading north by Friday and will play a final pre-season game against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Friday night. The first regular season game - Opening Day - is Monday in Baltimore against the Twins, beginning at 3:05 pm.  After a scheduled off day on Tuesday, they play the Twins on Wednesday and Thursday night, with games starting at 7:05 pm.  Then Tampa Bay comes to Baltimore for a weekend series Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Accu-Weather's Forecast for Saturday and Sunday in International Falls, Minnesota calls for snow and a high of 26-28 degrees and a low of ten degrees.  In Middlebury, Vermont, which is in the east-central part of Vermont just east of the high peaks of the Green Mountains, the forecast for Sunday calls for high winds, a high temperature of 30 degrees and a low of 13 degrees.  Obviously, up in the Green Mountains the temperature and wind velocities will be far worse.  Right now, Accu-Weather says the weather on Monday in Baltimore will be Sunny with a high of 50 degrees.  By Monday night, lows of about 40 degrees are called for.  The National Weather Service says the termperatures on Monday will not make it to 50 degrees.  It is virtually certain that temperatures for the period Sunday through Tuesday will be "far" below normal.

If you have put you winter coat away already, I can tell you that you haven't lived in Baltimore all that long.  I have vivid memories of sitting through snow in Baltimore in April at the ballpark.  I remember a day before opening day seeing a six-inch snow storm.  Opening Day was then postponed even though almost all of the snow was gone by gametime.  The game was played the next day.