OSWEGO, NY – March 2016 was a lot warmer than average and just a bit drier, according to Bill Gregway, local observer for the National Weather Service.
The average temperature last month was 39.4 degrees. That is 5.6 degrees above average.
The high for March was 73 degrees on the 9th.
The low was 11 degrees on the 3rd.
There were no zeros or records, Gregway added.
March had 1 day where it was in the 70s (the 9th), 3 days were in the 60s and 7 were in the 50s.
The overnight low sank into the teens 6 times. It was 32 degrees or below 18 times.
Precipitation for March came in at 2.57 inches. That is 0.60-inch below average.
For the year, total precipitation at the end of March was 9.90 inches. That is 2.5 inches above normal.
“Finally, we’re on the positive side,” Gregway said. “We were below average for a very long time.”
The greatest amount of precipitation in a 24-hour period was 0.75-inch on March 10th to 11th.
Snowfall for March was a mere 3.0 inches. That is 16.3 inches below average.
Through the end of March, total snowfall for the winter season stands at 72.9 inches. That is 73.6 inches below average.
The greatest snowfall in a 24-hour period was 1.9 inches on the 2nd.
March had 15 days of some sort of measurable precipitation with streaks of 5 and 4 days in a row.
There were 4 days of just a trace.
No precipitation fell on 12 days, with 3 being consecutive.
The area saw 37 percent of the possible amount of sunshine, which is 6 percentages below average.
The number of cloudy days, 18, was average.
The number of partly cloudy days, 11, was 3 above average.
And, the number of clear days, 2, was 3 below average.
There were 3 thunderstorm days. That is 2 above average.
March had 3 foggy days and that’s 2 above average.
There was 1 occasion of ice pellets.
The highest barometric pressure was 30.39 on the 11th and the lowest was 29.41 on the 28th.
There were a few days where the wind was 30 mph or stronger, Gregway said.
The strongest winds were westerly at greater than 35 mph on the 2nd.
“We also had westerly winds greater than 30 mph on the 28th,” Gregway added.
The coldest March on record is 1885 (18.8 degrees).
The warmest is 2012 (46.7 degrees).
The highest temperature, 83 degrees, was recorded in 1945, 1986 and 1998.
The lowest temperature, -11 degrees was in 1872.
March 1859 is the wettest on record (7.07 inches) and 1850 (0.37-inch) is the driest. March 1885 was also on the dry side (0.48-inch).
The most precipitation ever in a 24-hour period was 2.69 inches in 1971 with 2.68 inches in 1873 right behind.
Most snowfall ever in March is 53.6 inches in 1971. The least snow for March is just a trace in 1962, 2009 and 2010.
The most snowfall ever for a 24-hour period in March is 19.1 inches in 1900.
Discover more from Oswego County Today
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.