After a winter dominated by cold and snow, Albany jumped into the 70s earlier this month. The chill has since returned, but the sudden warmup raised a familiar question: Is it spring yet?<\/p>\n
During meteorological winter,\u00a0Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, only 22 days had an above-normal high temperature, according to data from Albany International Airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The reason for both the cold and the sudden\u00a0warmup lies in the polar vortex, a band of strong winds high in the atmosphere that controls where Arctic air flows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The polar vortex is usually centered on the North Pole, but from late November through early March, it repeatedly stretched toward eastern North America, sending cold air into the Northeast. Recently, the polar vortex shifted toward Europe and Asia, allowing warmer air to move in.<\/p>\n
In upstate New York, the lack of cold air led to what\u2019s often called \u201cfool\u2019s spring.\u201d Temperatures peaked at 76 degrees on March 10. Albany typically doesn\u2019t hit 70 until April 8 \u2014 nearly a month later.<\/p>\n
March 2025 also saw 70-degree temperatures ahead of schedule, on March 11, 19 and 31. Last winter was similarly cold, with the polar vortex frequently dipping into the northeastern United States.<\/p>\n
Other recent cold seasons tell a different story. The stretches of 2014-15, 2010-11 and 2000-01 stand out. In each case, Albany didn\u2019t reach 70 degrees until April \u2014 April 22, 2001; April 11, 2011; and April 13, 2015. After winter 2014-15, temperatures didn\u2019t even hit 50 until April.<\/p>\n
Following our run into the 60s and 70s two weeks ago, much cooler and seasonable weather has returned to the Capital Region.\u00a0<\/p>\n