Before Northeast Thaws, Thundersnow Will Roll Through

By Mark Memmott

Published February 18, 2014 at 7:45 AM CST

It will melt eventually: People walk past a pile of dirty snow in New York City's Times Square.

Hang on, you winter-weary folks.

"Temperatures are expected to warm to above average levels for late February from the Central Plains to the East Coast," the National Weather Service says.

But first, "we have to get through one more winter storm," The Weather Channel writes.

So, the thundersnow that was heard and felt in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana on Monday and then across Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland early Tuesday, will be moving farther north and east. Snow will fall today across much of New York state and New England.

Then:

-- Washington, D.C., is expected to warm into the 60s by Friday.

-- New York City will hit the low 50s the same day.

-- So will Boston.

Meanwhile, out West:

"Oregon's statewide snowpack — which had been hovering around a third of normal in mid-January — reached a respectable 61 percent of average Monday," The Oregonian reports. More rain and mountain snow are expected at least through Friday.

There's also going to be "moderate rainfall" in western Washington, The Weather Channel says.

But, "it remains dry and warm across the Southwest." And there's no significant precipitation in the forecast for drought-weary California.