MARCH 2019

3-9:  Bitterly cold weather dominated the country, holding weekly temperatures 20 to 30°F below normal across the northern High Plains and at least 10°F below normal throughout the northern and central Plains, Midwest, and Northwest.  Colder-than-normal conditions overspread the South, but mild weather developed in California and the Southwest.  Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in portions of Arizona and western New Mexico.  Freezes reached deep into the South from March 5-7. Early in the week, one of the northern Plains’ worst late-winter cold outbreaks on record continued.  Lewistown, MT, reported a low of -34°F on March 3, shattering its monthly record of -28°F that had been set most recently on March 6, 7, and 8, 1951.  With a low of -32°F on March 3, Great Falls, MT, tied a monthly record originally set on March 10, 1932.  In Washington, Pullman set monthly consecutive monthly records with lows of -5 and -9°F, respectively, on March 3-4.  Previously, Pullman’s lowest March reading had been -4°F on March 4, 1955.  Elsewhere in Washington, Wenatchee (4°F on March 4) edged its monthly record of 6°F, first established on March 4, 1960.  In Nebraska on the 4th, North Platte’s low of -25°F also set a monthly record (previously, -22°F on March 3, 1960 and 2002).  On March 4, subzero temperatures pushed as far south as Kansas, where daily record lows included -10°F in Hill City; 9°F in Russell; and -3°F in Salina.  Those Kansas communities again noted daily-record lows on March 5, with respective lows of -1, -5, and -1°F.  With a minimum temperature of 20°F on March 5, Waco, TX, experienced its lowest reading of the winter of 2018-19.  A day later, record setting lows for March 6 plunged to 11°F in Joplin, MO; 12°F in Fayetteville, AR; and 23°F in Jackson, MS.  On March 8, lingering cold weather in the East led to a daily-record low of -3°F in Mount Pocono, PA.  In contrast, a surge of warmth into southern Texas on March 9 led to a daily-record high of 96°F in McAllen, TX.

 

10-16:  Mostly dry weather prevailed in much of the East and from California to the northern High Plains.  Chilly conditions lingered across the western half of the country, while warmer-than-normal weather developed in the western Gulf Coast region and east of the Mississippi River.  Weekly temperatures averaged more than 10°F below normal in parts of the interior Northwest, but were as much as 10°F above normal in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern States.

 Persistently chilly weather in the Northwest led to several daily-record lows.  In fact, consecutive daily-record lows were set on March 10-11 in Washington locations such as Yakima (4 and 7°F) and Wenatchee (13 and 18°F).  In Oregon, Meacham posted a daily-record low of -2°F on March 10.  Farther south, however, late-week warmth developed in coastal southern California.  Downtown Los Angeles’ 41-day streak (January 30 – March 11) with maximum temperatures below 70°F ended on March 12 with a high of 71°F.  It was the longest such streak in that location since 1936-37, when there were 55 consecutive days (December 24 – February 16) with highs below 70°F.  Later, downtown Los Angeles achieved a high of 81°F on March 16, ending a 120-day streak (November 16 – March 15) with highs below the 80-degree mark.  Los Angeles had not experienced a longer stretch of sub-80degree weather in a century; there had been a 132-day streak from December 4, 1918 – April 14, 1919.  Farther east, a surge of warmth in advance of a cold front resulted in several daily-record highs.  McAllen, TX, logged a daily-record high of 99°F on March 13.  In West Virginia, record-setting highs for March 14 soared to 81°F in Clarksburg and 80°F in Morgantown.  Meridian, MS, also posted a daily-record high (86°F) for March 14.  The following day, Northeastern daily-record highs for March 15 reached 74°F in Trenton, NJ, and 72°F in Albany, NY.

17-23: Warmer weather covered the area from the Northwest into the upper Midwest induced some melting of snow and led to river rises. Chilly conditions dominated the East, where temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal in many locations from the Ohio Valley southward to the Gulf Coast.  In contrast, near- or above-normal temperatures covered much of the western and central U.S.  Some of the warmest weather, relative to normal, prevailed in the Pacific Northwest, where temperatures locally averaged more than 10°F above normal.   Early- to mid-week warmth blanketed the Pacific Northwest.  In western Washington, Hoquiam (71, 75, 79, and 79°F) and Quillayute (69, 74, 81, and 79°F) opened the week with four consecutive daily-record highs from March 17-20.  In addition, monthly records were set in both locations.  Previously, Hoquiam’s record had been 77°F on March 27, 1994, while Quillayute’s record had been 73°F on March 30, 2013.  Seattle, WA, also posted a March record with highs of 79°F on March 19 and 20 (previously, 78°F on March 29, 2004.  Salem, OR, logged a trio of daily-record highs (76, 77, and 75°F) from March 18-20.  Elsewhere in Oregon, Eugene’s high of 77°F on the 18th represented its highest March reading since March 30, 2003, when the temperature reached 78°F.  Early-week warmth also appeared in southern California, where Camarillo notched a daily-record high of 86°F on March 17.  Farther inland, pockets of cold air remained trapped across the Intermountain West, where Big Piney, WY, registered a daily-record low of -1°F on March 20.  Chilly weather in the East failed to set any records, although widespread freezes reached into northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, mainly on March 19-20.

 

24-10: Weekly temperatures averaged up to 10°F above normal in the southern Rockies, and were at least 5°F above normal in a broader area stretching from the Southwest to the southern High Plains. With much of the country experiencing near-normal temperatures, few records were broken. However, lingering cool conditions in the northern Rockies capped the coldest March on record in Montana locations such as Bozeman, with a monthly average temperature of 17.5°F (16.6°F below normal), and Dillon, with an average of 22.3°F (12.0°F below normal). Previous records had been 18.0°F (in 1969) in Bozeman and 23.0°F (in 1952) in Dillon. Meanwhile, a mid-week surge of warmth across the south-central U.S. resulted in a few daily-record highs, including 69°F on March 27 in Alamosa, CO. A few daily-record highs were set outside the contiguous U.S. For example, the international airport in Guam posted a daily-record high of 90°F on March—the highest reading in that location since January 2. On March 27, San Juan, PR, posted a daily-record high of 91°F.

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