Uneventful March Milder and Drier Than Normal

One year after the wettest March on record, I was somewhat apprehensive about what the third month of the year would bring this time around. Fortunately, we didn't experience any powerful Nor'easters, flooding rains, or damaging winds this March. In fact, as difficult as it may seem to believe, last month was slightly milder and drier than normal. The accompanying photos were sent to me yesterday by viewer Ralph Fato.

 

The average daily temperature last month was 39.7 degrees, just 0.2 degrees above normal. That's somewhat surprising, considering that 12 of the last 13 days of March, including the last nine days, were colder than normal. However, eight of the ten days preceding that stretch were warmer than normal, punctuated by a record 76-degree high temperature on March 18. That certainly skewed the overall average temperature.

Just over three-and-a-half inches (3.61") of precipitation fell last month, well below the 4.15-inch normal for March. There were only nine days with measured precipitation in March, with the greatest 24-hour rainfall happening on March 6 (1.26"). Over an inch-and-a-half of rain (1.51") fell March 6 and 7, and over three-quarters of an inch (0.77") fell on March 10 and 11. The longest dry stretch was six days, stretching from March 25 through March 30.

We measured just 3.2 inches of snow last month, just over an inch below the 4.3-inch normal for the month. An inch-and-a-half of snow was measured March 23, and an inch of snow fell the following day. Although there were more than ten inches of liquid precipitation in March of 2010, there was only one-tenth of an inch of snow.

 

A warm front passed through southwestern Connecticut this morning, bring some showers late last night. This afternoon will become partly sunny, breezy, and milder with high tempertaures climbing well into the 50s, but it will be cooler along the shoreline. Tonight will be mostly cloudy and mild with rain developing late and a low near 50. Tomorrow will feature morning showers and thunderstorms followed by partial clearing with a high near 60.

Paul