Winter is ending, but the polar vortex is still in March's forecast

Hello spring?

The weather forecast is looking promising for warmer weather as the calendar turns to March. In the East, a dramatic warm-up is in the forecast, and the Climate Prediction Center's outlook for March 6 to 12 shows warmth spreading across much of the nation, including the beleaguered Northeast.

But a winter weather boogieman may still be lurking.

"We are not completely done from an influence from the polar vortex," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok in an e-mail to USA TODAY.

The infamous weather pattern is actually partly influencing our weather as February ends. And it may again throughout the month of March, forecasters told USA TODAY.