NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

MARCH 2001

1st-3^rd…Clouds covered much of the nation Thursday as showers spread across the lower Gulf States, bringing heavy rains to parts of Texas and Florida. Isolated snow showers and flurries fell over the Northeast and Michigan. A storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest brought rain to western Washington, western Oregon and northwestern California. The Plains into the lower Mississippi Valley had clouds, with light snow in the central Plains. Snow showers in Illinois mixed with light rain to the south and in Missouri. Skies were partly to mostly cloudy in the Southwest, and a few snow showers were found in the Colorado Rockies.

4^th-10^th…A slow-moving storm rotated over the Northeast on Monday, threatening two feet or more of snow, and rain and snow were scattered over the West. The Northeast storm, still strengthening off the New Jersey coast, had already piled a foot of snow on parts of upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania by Monday afternoon. Lighter snow fell elsewhere in the region, with sleet and freezing rain along the coast. West of the storm, pockets of snow were scattered across Michigan and into parts of Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph were reported from the Great Lakes to Florida, and gusts to 40 mph were likely during the night in the Northeast. On the opposite coast, a weather system moving in from the Pacific spread showers across wide areas of California for a second day, with some locally heavy rainfall. Isolated light showers and snow showers were scattered over parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona.

Rain fell across parts of the Southwest on Wednesday, and a few snow showers formed around the upper Great Lakes. A low pressure system in the Southwest spread morning thunderstorms across southern Arizona, including the Phoenix area. Some areas got up to a half-inch of rain. Showers also were scattered across other parts of Arizona as well as southern California and New Mexico, and a few isolated showers were scattered over southern sections of Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Elsewhere, a few light snow showers formed around Lake Superior in some northern sections of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Light snow was possible during the night in southern Michigan and northern sections of Indiana and Ohio. In the central Appalachians, a few light snow showers developed in southern West Virginia and western Virginia.

A disturbance brought snow to the Northeast on Friday, while rain fell in the Southeast. Steady and occasionally heavy snow fell over portions of New York State, with accumulations of up to eight inches, while scattered snow showers spread across the Appalachians and upper Ohio Valley. A wintry mix hit central and southern New England, southeastern New York and northern New Jersey. A storm system moved rapidly along the Gulf Coast, bringing thunderstorms to the area and rain to southeast Mississippi, central and southern Alabama and northwestern Florida. Rain also moved into Georgia, with scattered showers in the Carolinas.

A storm system in the West brought scattered rain showers over Idaho, northern and central Nevada and northern Utah. Snow covered the mountains of Idaho, northern Nevada and the Sierra Nevada in California.

11^th-17^th…Thunderstorms pounded parts of Florida on Tuesday, damaging homes and a school, and a combination of rain, sleet and snow spread across the Northeast. A line of thunderstorms and showers worked its way down the Florida Peninsula during the day with lightning, rain, hail and wind up to 60 mph. Trees and power lines were knocked down in parts of northeastern Florida, and homes and businesses were damaged. A weak tornado may have caused damage in Nassau County that included windows blown out of a school, the National Weather Service said.

Locally heavy rain swept across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states during the night, with ice forming in some colder inland sections. The rain turned to snow in Maine. During the afternoon, a second line of showers moved across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York state, followed by another mass of showers that moved eastward after developing over Indiana and Ohio. Snow fell across Upper Michigan, and isolated snow showers broke out in parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. To the west, clouds moved into the Pacific Northwest, accompanied by showers spreading over western Washington and northwestern Oregon. Snow showers developed at higher elevations of the Cascades.

Heavy rain fell on the western Gulf Coast on Wednesday, and a late winter storm brought snow to the Rockies. The storm system over the south-central United States spread clouds from the Carolinas to Texas and Oklahoma. Rain fell mostly along the Gulf Coast from Alabama into Texas with the heaviest rain and thunderstorms reported in San Antonio, Texas, and Houston. A storm in the northern Rockies brought snow to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Lighter snow fell in northeastern Utah and Colorado, with some rain mixed in as the storm moved toward the Dakotas and Nebraska. The upper Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes were cloudy. Light rain fell in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, and freezing rain and snow mixed with the rain in Wisconsin. The Northeast was blustery with mostly to partly cloudy skies. Northern New England had light snow. The lower Rockies and Southwest were dry. Some low clouds and fog developed along the Pacific Northwest coastline.

Strong storms that assailed the South with heavy rains and at least one tornado pushed off the Carolinas Thursday, while snow and gusting winds chilled parts of the Plains. A tornado touched down about 90 miles west of Tallahassee, killing one person, knocking out power, and toppling trees and mobile homes. An unconfirmed tornado was spotted on radar in Georgia, and in the two states more than a dozen injuries were reported. Up to 1.5 inches of rain fell across Georgia into the Mid-Atlantic as clouds spread over New York and New England. Rain also fell in the central Plains and lower Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

Snow, heavy at times, blanketed parts of Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Winds gusting to 55 mph prompted blowing snow advisories in Nebraska, Kansas and northern Texas. The Rockies and Southwest through California were dry, and low clouds and fog near the California coastline dissipated by midday. Light to moderate rains dampened the Pacific Northwest while light snow fell in the Cascades.

A low pressure system continued to make its way along the Ohio River on Friday, spreading snow and rain further east. Most areas affected by the system received snow, with visibility in the Great Lakes down to a mile. An upper-level disturbance also brought snow to the central Rockies, with up to 8 inches likely by evening. Some lower-elevation spots in the region reported rain showers and thunderstorms. Another disturbance brought light showers and mountain snows to the Pacific Northwest. Fair weather dominated much of the South, Great Plains and Southwest, except in the desert where winds were blustery.

18^th-24^th…Heavy rains soaked the South on Monday with severe thunderstorms in Florida. The strongest storms unleashed hail and isolated tornadoes. Communities from Miami to Jacksonville were ankle-deep in rain. Scattered showers also soaked the Tennessee and Lower Mississippi valleys as well as the Carolinas.

Further north, scattered clouds swept into the western Ohio Valley and Great Lakes, bringing snow that melted quickly. Mostly clear skies covered the Northeast. Quiet weather extended westward to the Rocky Mountains. In the West, scattered showers fell in Washington, Oregon and northern California, with snow in the mountains. Further south, sunny skies held over the desert Southwest.

A strong storm following the East Coast spread heavy rain into New England on Wednesday, with snow showers in parts of the Appalachians. By afternoon, showers and some locally heavy rainfall extended from eastern Ohio across Pennsylvania and New York state into New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. Behind the northeastward-moving storm, scattered showers moved across the Carolinas, eastern sections of Tennessee and Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. At higher elevations, snow showers developed in parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Snow also was forecast in parts of the New England states during the night.

Elsewhere in the nation, scattered, generally light showers and a few isolated snow showers were scattered from northern California through Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado onto the Plains of Nebraska and Kansas. Some of the showers also reached into western Missouri during the afternoon.

A stubborn spring storm brought more rain to mid-Atlantic states and New England on Friday, threatening to flood already swollen rivers. The storm, centered off eastern New England, pushed into the northern Atlantic by evening, but not before bringing wet snow and rain to Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts. The precipitation tapered off by midday. Clear to partly cloudy skies covered the Ohio, Tennessee and Lower Mississippi valleys, along with the Deep South. The central Plains and Missouri Valley had isolated showers and thunderstorms, primarily in Kansas, Oklahoma and northern and western Texas. A mix of freezing rain and light snow fell in most of Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Northerly winds off Lake Superior triggered snow showers across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with some locations receiving up to 3 inches of snow by afternoon. Mostly clear skies blanketed the Pacific Northwest and Desert Southwest.

25^th-31^st…Scattered snow showers fell Monday throughout the Great Lakes, the Appalachians and central and southern New England. Up to four inches blanketed the eastern shores of the Great Lakes and southern New England. Light rain and snow dissipated over the northern Mid-Atlantic coast while winds gusted across the Northeast and Great Lakes. Dry conditions prevailed in much of the Mid-Atlantic, the Ohio and Tennessee Valley, Gulf states, Southeast and the northern Plains to lower Missouri Valley. Showers dotted South Florida. Intermittent light snow and freezing drizzle fell from South Dakota to Texas. Rain fell in the coasts and valleys of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Light snow fell in the Cascades and northern Idaho mountains. The Great Basin region and California were dry.

The Northeast part of the country was mostly cloudy on Wednesday, especially in portions of New York and the eastern Great Lakes and northern New England. Light snow showers fell near east Lake Ontario and northern New England. The upper Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic saw generally dry skies. Most of the southern Plains, Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf States were shrouded in clouds. Moderate and heavy rain drenched the Gulf Coast, from Texas to northwest Florida. The northern Plains reported mostly cloudy weather with a light mix of rain and snow spreading over Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Clouds also covered much of the eastern Rocky Mountain front range through New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest. Fair and dry conditions prevailed throughout Nevada, Arizona and much of California.

A storm system pounded the East on Friday, with heavy snow in northern New England and drenching rains to the south. The Southeast was mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout Florida. In the central states, the northern Plains were cloudy with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms in Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa. Snow fell in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Skies were cloudy from the Pacific Northwest to northern Rockies. California and the dessert Southwest was dry.