NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

MARCH 2024

3-9: In the middle and northern Atlantic States, 2- to 4-inch totals were common, especially in coastal communities. The precipitation, mostly rain, fell on multiple days, with three to four quick-hitting rounds of stormy weather occurring during the first 10 days of March. In contrast, a drier-than normal regime dominated the High Plains and upper Midwest. In the Texas Panhandle, tranquil weather favored wildfire containment and recovery efforts.

Early-week snow across northern North Dakota and environs, as well as some heavy snow on March 7-8 across portions of the central Plains, mainly in northeastern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska. Elsewhere, Western precipitation was generally light and patchy, although some higher amounts were observed in northwestern California and the Pacific Northwest, along with scattered locations across the northern Intermountain West and neighboring areas. Some precipitation—rain and snow showers—also fell in southern California. Colder-than normal conditions dominated the northern High Plains and much of the western U.S., with weekly temperatures averaging at least 10°F below normal in scattered locations from southern Idaho to northwestern North Dakota, especially in areas with fresh snow on the ground. In contrast, readings averaged more than 10°F above normal from the mid-South and Midwest into the Northeast. In fact, above-normal temperatures prevailed in nearly all locations east of a line from southeastern New Mexico to eastern North Dakota. March 3 featured a high of 80°F in Waterloo, IA—the earliest 80 degree reading in that location by nearly 2 weeks (previously, 82°F on March 16, 2012, and 81°F on March 16, 2015). Rampant daily-record highs of 80°F or higher were observed on the 3rd in locations such as Chanute, KS (84°F); Columbia, MO (83°F); Quincy, IL (82°F); and Ottumwa, IA (80°F). The following day, record-setting high temperatures for March 4 included 85°F in College Station, TX, and 84°F in Greenwood, MS. Palacios, TX, set a monthly record with a high of 89°F on March 5. Elsewhere in Texas on the 5th, daily-record highs surged to 94°F in Corpus Christi, 91°F in Brownsville, and 90°F in College Station. Farther north, Midwestern and Northeastern daily-record highs for March 4 soared to 74°F in Detroit, MI, and 72°F in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo matched that reading on March 5, posting another daily-record high. During the second half of the week, warmth retreated into the South, where Corpus Christi achieved another daily-record high (92°F) on March 8. Meanwhile, Northwestern conditions were cold enough to result in scattered daily record lows, including two in a row (21 and 22°F, respectively, on March 6-7) in Olympia, WA. On March 8, Stanley, ID, notched a daily-record low of -20°F. By the 9th, daily-record lows in Idaho included 1°F in Idaho Falls and 4°F in Pocatello.

In contrast, lingering warmth in Florida led to daily-record highs for March 9 in locations such as Orlando (90°F) and Vero Beach (90°F). As the week began, heavy showers dotted southern Florida, where West Palm Beach measured a daily-record sum of 3.32 inches on March 3.

10-16: Above-normal temperatures prevailed from the Plains eastward, with weekly readings averaging at least 10°F above normal in most locations from the upper Midwest into the Great Lakes region. Cooler-than-normal conditions, with temperatures locally averaging as much as 5°F below normal, were generally confined to the Southwest. March 11 featured a high of 70°F in Fargo, ND—the earliest 70-degree reading in that location (previously, 75°F on March 15, 2015). On the same date, high temperatures surged to 80°F in Sioux City, IA, and Sioux Falls, SD. Those were not the earliest 80-degree readings, but very close, as records remain March 6, 2017, in Sioux City, and March 7, 2000, in Sioux Falls. Elsewhere on the 11th, daily-record highs included 79°F in Norfolk, NE, and 74°F in Rochester, MN. By March 12, warmth reached the Great Lakes region, where daily-record highs soared to 72°F in Green Bay, WI, and 70°F in Gaylord, MI. Elsewhere in Michigan, record-setting highs for March 13 included 73°F in Detroit and 72°F in Muskegon. Warmth also briefly shifted into the Northeast, where daily-record highs in New York for March 13 rose to 72°F in Syracuse and 62°F in Watertown. Lingering warmth in the upper Midwest allowed Rochester, MN, to tally a trio of daily-record highs (74, 69, and 68°F) from March 11-13. During the second half of week, however, record-setting temperatures retreated into the South. By March 14, daily-record highs included 89°F in Shreveport, LA, and 85°F in Montgomery, AL. With a high of 87°F, Savannah, GA, posted a daily-record high for March 15. At week’s end, unusual warmth appeared in the Northwest, where consecutive daily-record highs occurred on March 15-16 in Washington locations such as Quillayute (73 and 80°F) and Olympia (64 and 74°F). Quillayute’s 80-degree reading was also a monthly record, surpassing 79°F on March 20, 2019.

17-23: Much of the country experienced several days of tranquil weather, as warmth arrived in the West and chilly air settled across the central and eastern U.S. Weekly temperatures averaged 5 to 10°F below normal from the northern Plains into the Great Lakes States. Meanwhile, temperatures generally averaged 5 to 10°F above normal from northern California and the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies.

During the first half of the week, record-setting warmth continued in the Northwest. Omak, WA, topped the 70-degree mark each day from March 16-19, with daily-record highs reaching 73°F on the 17th and 18th. Daily-record highs soared to 80°F in Roseburg, OR (on March 18), and Pasco, WA (on March 19). Portland, OR, narrowly missed a March record by experiencing 70-degree warmth on 5 consecutive days, starting on the 15th; the record remains 6 days in a row, from March 25-30, 1941. In contrast, cold weather in the East led to freezes deep into Alabama and Mississippi. On March 19 in Alabama, daily-record lows of 28°F were observed in Anniston and Tuscaloosa. The following day, Gainesville, FL (35°F), posted a record-setting low for the 20th. Late in the week, temperatures returned close to normal levels nearly nationwide, although chilly conditions lingered from the northern Plains into the Northeast.

26-30: Weekly temperatures generally averaged more than 10°F below normal in portions of the northern and central Plains, with chilly conditions extending across the southern Plains, upper Midwest, and much of the West. In contrast, readings averaged at least 5°F above normal in parts of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, as well as a few locations in Florida. As the week began, cold air lurked near the Canadian border. For example, Plattsburgh, NY, posted a daily-record low of 1°F on March 24. Farther west and a few days later, cold air more broadly overspread the northern Plains and upper Midwest, in the wake of a departing storm system. Baker, MT, reported consecutive sub zero readings (-5 and -10°F, respectively) on March 25-26. Following a 3.2-inch snowfall on March 23-24, Pierre, SD, tied a daily record with a low of 4°F on March 27. Similarly, Duluth, MN, received 17.7 inches of snow from March 24-27, followed by a low of 9°F (not a record for the date) on March 29.

Late in the month, a cold-core storm system moved across southern California, delivering rain, snow, and below-average temperatures. At Big Bear Lake, CA, where at least 5 inches of snow fell, high temperatures peaked at 36 and 34°F, respectively, on March 30-31.

 

 

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