Why so gray? Cold Atlantic keeps East chilly

Spring is a fickle season, and it will definitely be a roller coaster along the East Coast and the highly populated I-95 corridor today.

The WindRadar is showing a light southeasterly flow off the Atlantic.  Ocean temperatures are cold this time of the year, with water temperatures in the 40s and 50s. This ocean-cooled air spreads inland.

This marine airmass produces a thin overcast that keeps the warm sunshine at bay. Later in the afternoon, the WeatherRadar shows the clouds thinning, with breaks of sunshine possible. Not too far to the south and inland, the sky is clear and the warmer temperatures prevail.

The TemperatureRadar shows the dramatic difference between the colder air in the Northeast -- look at New York and Philadelphia's forecast for example, and much warmer temperatures west of the across the southern Mid-Atlantic.

Another change will occur tonight and early Tuesday. A cold front sweeping eastward will bring rain tonight to the East Coast. A clear sky and winds from the northwest will bring sunshine and warmer, more spring-like temperatures Tuesday.