NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

MARCH 2023

Feb-26-Mar. 4: Western rain and snow showers became more scattered, although significant snow continued to accumulate in some areas. Notably, the average water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack surged past 45 inches, according to the California Department of Water Resources, on par with California’s two most recent wet winters in 2016-17 and 2018-19. In addition, some southern California mountain communities remained isolated, following historic snow accumulations in late February and early March. Farther east, a pair of severe weather outbreaks— on February 26-27 and March 1-3, respectively—struck from the southern Plains into the mid-South and lower Midwest, causing wind damage and power outages. Combined, the outbreaks were responsible for as many as five dozen tornadoes. The initial outbreak resulted in a major dust storm across the southern High Plains. With the second outbreak, Kentucky endured some of the most extensive damage, including widespread electrical disruptions. Heavy rain accompanied the severe weather, with weekly totals broadly topping 2 inches in the mid-South and lower Midwest. Significant snow accumulated on March 3-4 from the lower Great Lakes region into northern New England.

With snowfall totals in southern California still being collected and tabulated, one preliminary report showed 82 inches (spanning 7 days in late February and early March) at Big Bear City in San Bernardino County, near the eastern shore of Big Bear Lake. Previously, Big Bear City’s 7-day snowfall record had been 58 inches in January-February 1979. Other 7-day totals in southern California included 150 inches near Running Springs and 109 inches at Lake Arrowhead. In a typical cold season, Lake Arrowhead receives approximately 22 inches of snow. Farther east, the week began with a noteworthy dust storm on February 26 across southern sections of the Rockies and High Plains, driven by wind gusts of 70 mph or higher. A gust to 114 mph was clocked near Memphis, Hall County, TX, while winds gusted to 95 mph near Jetmore, Hodgeman County, KS. In Lubbock, TX, where a westerly gust to 77 mph was recorded on the 26th, daily precipitation last totaled 0.10 inch or more on January 24. Meanwhile, more than two dozen tornadoes were spotted on February 26-27 from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. On the 27th, daily-record precipitation totals included 2.06 inches in Milwaukee, WI; 1.54 inches in Rockford, IL; 1.40 inches in South Bend, IN; and 1.27 inches in Kalamazoo, MI. For Milwaukee, it was the wettest February day on record, surpassing 1.81 inches on February 21, 1913. New York City received its biggest snow of the season to date, with Central Park measuring 1.8 inches on February 27-28. At month’s end, widespread snow in the West led to daily-record totals for February 28 in Spokane, WA (4.4 inches); Reno, NV (2.8 inches); and Glasgow, MT (2.1 inches). Reno received measurable snow on each of the last 8 days in February, except the 26th, totaling 9.7 inches. Flagstaff, AZ, aided by a 10.3-inch snowfall on February 26 and 24.0 inches on March 1-2, saw its season-to-date total climb to 142.9 inches (201 percent of normal). In early March, snow fell in the northern U.S., with daily-record amounts reaching 5.4 inches (on the 1st) in Bismarck, ND, and 6.2 inches (on the 3rd) in Detroit, MI. Renewed power outages in southern Michigan came as crews continued to repair damage from the February 22 ice storm. Farther south, a new wave of severe thunderstorms originated on March 2 in central Texas and quickly expanded northeastward, spawning more than two dozen tornadoes. In northeastern Texas, wind gusts on the 2nd were clocked to 78 mph in Corsicana and 71 mph in Dallas-Fort Worth. The following day, Louisville, KY, reported a daily-record rainfall of 2.79 inches and noted a peak gust to 79 mph. Other peak gusts in Kentucky included 78 mph in Lexington, 70 mph in London, 69 mph in Bowling Green, and 67 mph in Frankfort. In Jackson, KY, a gust to 65 mph on March 3 was the highest since that station opened more than 40 years ago. Elsewhere on March 3, daily rainfall records reached 4.16 inches in Paducah, KY; 3.60 inches in Evansville, IN; 2.78 inches in Carbondale, IL; and 2.70 inches in Dayton, OH, while all-time low barometric pressure records were broken in locations such as Paducah (977.7 millibars) and Evansville (976.0 millibars).

5-11: Torrential rain in central California caused a levee break along the Pajaro River, flooding the community of Pajaro in Monterey County. Rain, along with melting of lower-elevation snowpack and dam releases, also led to significant water rises along many waterways in California’s Central Valley. Meanwhile, the average water equivalency of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snowpack topped 50 inches, more than twice normal for the season, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Other areas of the West, excluding the southern tier of the region, received widespread, but mostly light, precipitation. Farther east, late-week storminess delivered light to moderately heavy snow across the northern Plains and upper Midwest, with some of the most significant precipitation falling on March 11. Meanwhile, a band of heavy showers (locally 2 to 4 inches) stretched from northeastern Texas to the southern Appalachians.

As the week began, snow blanketed portions of the Great Basin and Intermountain West. Reno, NV, measured 4.1 inches of snow on March 4-5, aided by a daily-record sum of 2.9 inches on the latter date. In Utah, 24-hour snowfall totals on March 4-5 reached 8.5 inches in Randolph and 8.0 inches in Laketown. Alta, UT, reported 30.5 inches of snow in a 48-hour period ending March 6. Later snow shifted into the upper Great Lakes region, where Marquette, MI(6.6 inches on March 6), measured a daily-record total. Subsequently, multi-day accumulations across the north-central U.S. included measurable snow falling on 6 consecutive days (March 7-12) in Grand Forks, ND, totaling 13.9 inches. Similarly, Bismarck, ND, reported snow each day during the week, with measurable amounts on 5 days, totaling 17.1 inches. Daily-record snowfall amounts included 4.0 inches (on the 7th) in Mobridge, SD, and 4.1 inches (on the 9th) in Waterloo, IA. Lateweek snow expanded to other areas, including the Great Lakes region and the Northwest. On March 10, daily-record totals reached 8.7 inches in Grand Rapids, MI; 6.1 inches in Great Falls, MT; and 4.8 inches in Spokane, WA. A day later, record-setting snowfall totals for March 11 included 9.1 inches in Grand Forks, ND, and 6.4 inches in Des Moines, IA. Farther west, month-to-date (March 1-11) snowfall in Alta, UT, climbed to 63.1 inches, with the snow depth peaking on March 6 at 157 inches. At the Central Sierra Snow Lab at California’s Donner Pass, season-to-date snowfall exceeded 650 inches by March 13. Meanwhile, Bishop, CA (2.06 inches on the 10th), experienced its wettest March day on record, surpassing 1.75 inches on March 4, 1991. Closer to the Pacific Coast, the Pajaro River at Chittenden, CA, achieved its highest crest (on March 11) since February 1998. In California’s Salinas River drainage basin, a record crest was set on March 10 along the Nacimiento River below Nacimiento Lake, with the water level edging the February 1969 high-water mark by 1.51 feet. The Salinas River near Spreckels, CA, rose 3.89 feet above flood stage on March 13, second only to the March 1995 high-water mark (7.29 feet above flood stage) and 2.29 feet above the level reached on January 13, 2023.

12-18: Ongoing storminess in California padded already impressive mountain snowpack and further eased vestiges of drought. However, the wet pattern also slowed recovery efforts from recent flooding and led to high river levels, especially in areas downstream of where dam releases were increased. Unsettled weather extended to other areas of the West, although precipitation totals were mostly light to moderate.

Early in the week coastal storm produced heavy snow and gusty winds across a relatively small geographic area of the Northeast, including parts of eastern New York and southern New England. With a mid-March cold wave covering much of the country, weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F below normal across large parts of the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Meanwhile, sharply colder weather in the South broadly held temperatures 5 to 10°F below normal. Colder-than-normal conditions also dominated interior sections of the West. As the week began, snow shifted from the upper Great Lakes region into the Northeast. In Wisconsin, record-setting snowfall totals for March 12 included 10.5 inches in Rhinelander, 9.6 inches in Wausau, and 8.8 inches in Green Bay. Farther west, March 11-12 snowfall totaled 12.5 inches in Duluth, MN, accompanied by a peak wind gust to 45 mph. Similar conditions unfolded across the Northeast on March 13-14, when Albany, NY, received 10.1 inches of snow and had a liquid equivalency of 1.98 inches. Other March 13-14 totals included 14.4 inches of snow (2.18 inches of liquid) in Worcester, MA, and 10.0 inches (1.95 inches of liquid) in Concord, NH. Boston, MA, received 2.54 inches, but reported only one-half inch of snow. Peak wind gusts during the March 13-14 storm included 47 mph in Concord, 45 mph in Boston, and 44 mph in Worcester. Farther south, Gainesville, FL, netted a daily-record rainfall (2.38 inches) on the 13th, accompanied by its second-highest March wind gust on record (62 mph, behind only 63 mph on March 13, 1993). Meanwhile, another round of Western precipitation moved ashore, starting in the Pacific Northwest. In Oregon, record-setting rainfall totals for March 13 included 1.39 inches in Salem and 1.19 inches in Portland. The following day in California, daily-record amounts reached 2.54 inches in Santa Barbara, 2.25 inches in Oxnard, and 2.04 inches in Camarillo. Water year-to-date (October 1 – March 18) precipitation in downtown Los Angeles climbed to 24.08 inches (196 percent of normal), the 14th-highest seasonal sum since records began in 1877-78. With a 1.53-inch total on the 14th, Long Beach, CA, experienced its seventh-wettest March day on record. Elsewhere in southern California, 24-hour precipitation totals on March 14-15 reached 5.22 inches on Palomar Mountain; 4.21 inches at Oceanside Harbor; and 2.55 inches at Newport Beach. In central California, the Middle Fork of the Feather River near Portola climbed 1.92 feet above flood stage on March 15, the second-highest level on record in that location behind 3.71 feet above flood stage on February 11, 2017. Southwestern desert locations such as Needles, CA (1.65 inches), and Kingman, AZ (1.05 inches) collected daily-record totals for March 15. By the 16th, heavy rain shifted into the midSouth, where daily-record amounts in Arkansas totaled 2.94 inches at Little Rock Air Force Base and 1.84 inches in Stuttgart. Farther north, snow in Montana led to daily-record totals for March 15 in Glasgow (6.2 inches) and Helena (4.7 inches).

19-23: California’s recovery from a 3-year drought neared completion, as additional Pacific storminess battered the state with heavy rain, mountain snow, and high winds. The San Joaquin Valley’s formerly dry Tulare Lake began to take on water, inundating low-lying communities and agricultural land. Elsewhere in California, water managers continued to gird for the spring and summer melt season, with the average water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack rising above 58 inches (more than 225 percent of normal), according to the California Department of Water Resources. Significant precipitation extended to other areas, including the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Southwest. 

In the southeastern Plains into the mid-South and lower Midwest, heavy showers occurred leading to river rises and lowland flooding. By week’s end, moderate flooding was reported along several waterways, including the White River in Arkansas and the Meramec River in Missouri. In conjunction with the rainfall, a multi-day (March 23-26) outbreak of severe weather peaked on the 24th with a devastating, long-track, post-sunset, EF-4 tornado cutting more than 59 miles across parts of four Mississippi counties, resulting in more than a dozen fatalities. During all of 2022, there were only 23 U.S. tornado-related fatalities.

By March 25, season-to-date snowfall at the Central Sierra Snow Lab in Donner Pass, CA, topped 690 inches, with a water equivalency of more than 70 inches. On the morning of March 26, the snow depth in Alta, UT, climbed to 180 inches, following official monthly totals of 26.1 inches in October; 66.4 inches in November; 135.9 inches in December; 163.9 inches in January; and 72.0 inches in February. Through the 25th, Alta’s March snowfall totaled 142.0 inches, for a season-to-date sum of 606.3 inches. Some of California’s heaviest precipitation fell on March 21, when dailyrecord rainfall amounts included 1.53 inches in Long Beach and 1.43 inches in downtown Los Angeles. Heavily managed waterways in California’s Central Valley remained at elevated levels, with the Merced River at Stevinson continuing to experience its highest water—slightly above the 71-foot flood stage—since December 1950. Similarly, the San Joaquin River at Vernalis remained at its highest level since JanuaryFebruary 2017, with higher crests observed only in February-March 1938, April 1940, December 1950, January 1969, and March 1986.

Heavy snow fell north of the storm’s track, with Billings, MT, receiving 10.4 inches on March 25-26. In Wisconsin, the 25th was the snowiest March day on record in Madison, where 12.1 inches fell (previously, 12.0 inches on March 18, 1971). Elsewhere in Wisconsin, record-setting snowfall totals for March 25 included 11.8 inches in Appleton, 10.0 inches in Green Bay, and 8.9 inches in Milwaukee.

Mar. 26-Apr. 1: A storm system drifted southward near the Pacific Coast before veering inland and accelerating across the central Plains and Midwest. Storm-related impacts, including rain, snow, high winds, and severe weather, affected many parts of the country. Notably, widespread severe thunderstorms on March 31 in the mid-South and Midwest occurred exactly a week after another deadly Southern tornado outbreak. During the end-of-March event, more than 100 tornadoes were spotted, some as far north as southern Wisconsin, based on preliminary reports. Meanwhile, heavy rain (locally 2 to 4 inches or more) fell across the lower Southeast, excluding Florida’s peninsula, while snow blanketed areas from South Dakota to northern Michigan.

Heavy snow in northern Maine totaled 8.0 inches (on March 26) in Caribou, a record for the date. Snow also blanketed the northern Rockies and adjacent High Plains, where daily-record totals (for the 26th) in Montana reached 7.8 inches at Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman and 5.0 inches in Billings. The 3-day (March 25-27) total in Billings climbed to 11.7 inches. Similarly, MSU reported a March 26-27 total of 17.1 inches, while the nearby Bozeman Airport set March records for 1- and 2-day snowfall—9.5 inches on March 25 and 11.5 inches on March 25-26, respectively. Meanwhile, heavy showers dotted the Southeast, resulting in a daily-record total (2.93 inches) for March 27 in Florence, SC. On March 28 in Georgia, the Flint River near Carsonville crested 16.43 feet above flood stage, reaching its highest level since the record-setting flood of July 1994. On the same date in Macon, GA, at the 5th Street Bridge, the Ocmulgee River rose 9.78 feet above flood stage, the highest level in that location since March 1998. Heavy rain also fell across the southern tip of Texas, where McAllen netted a daily-record sum (2.91 inches) for March 28. Farther west, heavy precipitation returned across parts of California and later spread inland. In northern California, record-setting rainfall totals for March 28 reached 1.97 inches in Mt. Shasta City and 1.64 inches in Ukiah. A day later in southern California, daily-record totals (for the 29th) included 0.98 inch at LAX Airport and 0.94 inch in Long Beach. A flood disaster, months in the making, continued to unfold in the formerly dry and heavily agricultural Tulare Lake basin of California’s San Joaquin Valley, with a record-setting snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada still left to melt. Farther inland, Winnemucca, NV, received 6.8 inches of snow on March 28-29, including a daily-record sum of 4.6 inches on the latter date. With 33.3 inches of snow falling in Alta, UT, on the last 2 days of the month, the March total climbed to 191.0 inches, 268 percent of normal. Late in the week, the storm careened eastward. On March 31, snowfall in South Dakota totaled 10.0 inches in Pierre, 8.6 inches in Sisseton, and 7.5 inches in Aberdeen, with respective peak wind gusts clocked to 53, 46, and 53 mph. Daily-record snowfall amounts on April 1 reached 18.6 inches in Sault Sainte Marie, MI, and 10.4 inches in Rhinelander, WI. Farther south, daily-record precipitation totaled topped 2 inches on March 31 in Rochester, MN (2.15 inches) and Grand Rapids, MI (2.02 inches).

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com