At a Glance
- Spring is arguably the most active weather season of the year.
- Snow, tornadoes, flooding and high winds are common weather events in spring.
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Weather can change quickly and spring is notorious for producing a broad range of extreme conditions. Major snowstorms, severe weather, flooding, big temperature changes and high winds are all common in the spring.
Wide-ranging weather impacts occur this time of year because of a battle between warmer air trying to push farther north and the last of winter's cold plunging south out of Canada. That temperature contrast fuels a strong jet stream and highly variable weather conditions.
Here are five ways spring is typically the most volatile weather season.
1. A History Of Major Winter Storms
Many parts of the country can still see winter storms in spring, especially early in the season.
Heavy spring snowstorms commonly impact areas from the Rockies and the adjacent Front Range into the Plains and upper Midwest. Sometimes these storms even produce blizzard conditions.
The Northeast has a long history of significant winter storms in March, with the 1993 Superstorm being the most severe in modern times. Parts of the region have also been hit in April, including a blizzard in 1982.
March and April are the snowiest months of the year in the Rockies and High Plains. The last measurable snow in many cities across the nation's northern tier comes in April.
2. Tornado Threat Peaks
Tornado outbreaks are probably the weather event most often associated with spring.
Tornado activity in the Lower 48 increases in March before peaking in April, May and June. Those are the core months for tornadoes, but they can occur at other times during the year.
March averages the fewest spring tornadoes, with 96 per year. That average increases to 203 in April and 278 in May, based on the period of 2003-22.
The area of highest tornado risk in spring shifts from the Deep South in March toward the Plains and Midwest from April into May. That follows the northward migration of the jet stream further into spring.
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3. Spring Floods
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River flooding often occurs in spring, especially from the Plains and Midwest into parts of New England.
A sharp spring warmup can quickly cause the melting of snowpack that can then spill into rivers and cause them to flood.
The worst flooding happens when bouts of heavy rain move across an area where the ground is already saturated from winter snowmelt or rain. Since the ground cannot absorb any of the rain, serious flooding can occur and potentially inundate city streets and even homes.
An extreme example of severe flooding happened in March 2019 when heavy rain from a bomb cyclone combined with melting snow to produce a flooding disaster in parts of the Plains and Midwest. NOAA estimated the total damage from this historic flood event at $10.8 billion. It was one of the nation's costliest inland flood events on record.
Flash flooding is also an increasing threat in spring as thunderstorms become more numerous. Thunderstorms can produce rainfall rates of more than an inch per hour. Major flash flooding can occur if that heavy rain persists for several hours in a particular area.
4. Temperature Swings
Spring is also known for its up-and-down temperatures.
This is particularly the case in March and April when strong low-pressure systems moving through the central and eastern states draw warm air ahead of them into the northern tier of the country. That could result in a brief couple of days with some enjoyable warmth.
But an inevitable cold plunge typically arrives after the storm departs and takes away the glimpse of spring temperatures.
The atmosphere becomes less prone to wild temperature swings later in spring and allows for longer-lasting periods of warmer weather.
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5. A Windy Time Of Year
Gusty winds often accompany potent spring storms before, during and after their passage through the Lower 48.
The windiest time is early spring. March is the windiest month for many cities from the Plains to the East Coast, but stronger winds also accompany storm systems well into April.
Sometimes those winds can contribute to blowing dust in the Southwest and Plains.
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