Big warm-up, temps near 70, part of wild weather week for Pittsburgh area

From 8 inches of snow and wind chills in the single digits to 60-degree temperatures in a matter of days. That’s the hairpin turn into spring the weather is making this week.

By Wednesday, temperatures will be flirting with 70.

“We can thank something called warm advection,” said Jenna Lake, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Moon. “It’s the transport of warmer air from one location to another. Usually, for us, it comes from the south or southwest. In this case, we’re getting Georgia warm air and moisture transported up our way.

“And over a few days, if it’s still pumping warm air, we’ll have temperatures in the 70s. Thursday and Friday are looking really good.”

It’s just in time for the official start of spring. The March equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, arrives at 11:33 a.m. Sunday. That’s perfect for planting, and some local garden centers and nursuries are seeing an influx of customers.

“From now on, anytime you get a couple nice days in a row, they get the itch,” said Dave Vargo, owner of Kiski Garden Center in Allegheny Township. “They’re either coming to get ready and buy things, or they’re coming in to try to do things because now you can plant grass, you can plant onions. It’s a little early to be seeding, but some people try to seed, maybe throw some lettuce out or some beets and things like that.”

Ken Heese, owner of Laurel Nursery and Garden Center in Latrobe, said the prospect of warmer weather is exciting for him and his customers.

“On the sunny days, everybody’s been getting excited, starting to look for things — soils, pots, vegetable seeds — things like that have been selling well,” he said. “We will have pansies and violas here on display. I think I have five tractor-trailer loads of stuff coming in this week. So it’s going to get hectic very quickly.”

The change in temperatures comes on the heels of a significant snowstorm late Friday into Saturday that dropped more than 9 inches of snow in parts of Allegheny County. Westmoreland County was spared the higher totals, but the entire region was under a storm advisory late last week.

It also dovetails nicely into daylight saving time, which occurred early Sunday morning. That means daylight longer into the evenings and more opportunity to enjoy the sunshine.

The National Weather Service is predicting highs of 59 on Tuesday, 64 on Wednesday, 65 on Thursday and 68 on Friday. Only Friday carries a chance of rain.

So how can temperatures go from so cold to so warm so quickly?

“The (weather) fronts that were coming through are getting stronger,” Lake said. “That’s the reason that we see enhancement in precipitation and then we get a warmup after that.”

While the warm-up might encourage those with spring fever to want to descend upon baseball and softball fields at City of Pittsburgh Parks and Recreation facilities, City Councilman Corey O’Connor warns it may be too early for that, especially after a substantial snowfall.

“We’re all eager to get back out there, but I still think, especially where our dirt fields are, to stay off of those because if you make a lot of foot imprints, it takes a while to clear that stuff out,” he said. “I would say stick to grass areas for a while. It still might be muddy and wet, but it’s safer than using the dirt part of the field.”

O’Connor said once the weather turns consistently warm, the Department of Public Works will be dragging ballfields and getting them ready for the baseball and softball seasons.

“It’s not that far away, so I would say be a little cautious the next couple of weeks and then you’ll have a great ballfield to use throughout the summer.”

Allegheny County Director of Parks Andy Baechle said Monday there wasn’t much snow left throughout the parks.

“As is always the case following heavy rainfall or winter weather, we encourage visitors to be aware of muddy areas and to stick to main trails and routes for their safety,” he said.