OSWEGO, NY – March 2010 was a lot warmer and a bit drier than average.
The average temperature last month was 40.1 degrees.
That is 6.2 degrees higher than average. But, according to Bill Gregway, local observer for the National Weather Service, that is just number 7 on the list of all-time warm Marches since 1844.
The highest temperature was 61 degrees on the 19th and the lowest was 18 degrees on the 27th.
There were no records set in March, Gregway added.
There was 1 day where the temperature was 60 degrees or higher; 6 days where it was 50 degrees or higher and 1 day where the low was in the teens.
March also saw 2 days in the 20s and 7 days where the low was below 32, Gregway said.
Precipitation last month totaled 2.58 inches, which is 0.78-inch below average.
The greatest precipitation in a 24-hour period came on the 23rd (0.98-inch).
Since the first of the year, the precipitation stands at 9.0 inches and is 0.98-inch below average.
There were 10 days of measurable precipitation last month with 4 of them in a row.
March saw 2 days with just a trace and had 19 days of no precipitation with spans of 9 and 5 days in a row.
Snowfall last month was nearly nonexistent.
March 2010 received just a trace of snow and that is 19.3 inches below normal.
Snowfall for the winter at the end of March fared even worse. It stands at 117 inches and is 29.5 inches below where it should be at this time, Gregway said.
The greatest snowfall in a 24-hour period last month was a trace on the 2nd.
“It happened overnight. It started to rain about 8 p.m. Monday and the rain briefly changed to snow,” Gregway said. That was about it. Tuesday morning, it was all gone again.”
There were no thunderstorms, which is 1 below average and 1 foggy day, which is average.
The area saw 52 percent of the possible sunshine in March. That is 9 percentages above normal.
“Last year, March was 10 percent above normal,” Gregway observed. “Kind of funny how close alike the two months are.”
The number of cloudy days, 13, was 5 below average.
The number of partly cloudy days, 12, was 4 above average.
The number of clear days, 6, was 1 above average.
The highest barometric pressure was 30.42 on the 27th and the lowest was 29.53 on the 23rd.
The strongest winds were north-northwesterly, greater than 25 mph, on the 26th.
There were 5 other times when the wind speeds were in the 20, Gregway said.
On March 9th there was a mirage on the lake, Gregway said, adding that it isn’t unusual in the spring.
By comparision March 2009’s temperature was 35.2 degrees (1.3 degree above average).
The highest temperature was 59 degrees on the 18th.
“And this year, it was 61 degrees on the 19th. Kind of funny how the two are so similar,” Gregway said. “The sunshine was also very close for the two months.”
March 2009 had an 8 degree reading on the 3rd for the lowest.
Precipitation “was almost right on” at just 0.07-inch below average, Gregway said.
Snowfall was higher last March. For the winter, it was 153.7 inches, which was 7.2 inches above average.
The warmest March on record is 1945 (42.8 degrees). March 1946 is right on its heels (42.0 degrees).
There haven’t been any real warm Marches recently Gregway said.
The coldest March is 18.8 degrees in 1885.
“Again, with all the cold, the top 6 were all set in the 1800s with the exception of No. 5,” Gregway said. “It was colder then. The last part of the 19th century was colder than most of the 20th century.”
The highest temperature in March (83 degrees) was recorded three times, in 1945, 1986 and 1998. The lowest is -11 degrees in 1872.
The wettest March is 1859 (7.07 inches). The driest is 1885 (0.48-inch).
The greatest precipitation in 24-hours came in 1971 when 2.69 inches fell. That just slipped past the 2.68 inches in 1873.
The snowiest March is 53.6 inches in 1971.
This year, we tied for the least amount of snow with 1962 and 2009.
The greatest snowfall in a 24-hour period for March is 19.1 inches in 1900.
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