Why the big thaw?

Our thaw is thanks to a high pressure system in the Atlantic Ocean. The high moves closer to the southeast U.S. and it pushes south winds from the Gulf of Mexico northward into the Great Lakes. These south winds bring the warmer air, the "thaw" that we are experiencing.

The jet stream also plays a big roll in our winter warmup. The jet sinks into the southwest U.S. and rises north into central Canada. This configuration keeps cold air bottled up in Canada and the far western U.S., while we see milder weather.

The thaw typically doesn't last long as the jet sinks south bringing our weather back to "normal" winter-like conditions.