No Fooling - March Was Chilly but April May Be Warmer

March was colder than normal for almost the entire Northeast.

While March average temperatures ranged from 6°F below normal to 2°F above normal in the Northeast, for most areas average temperatures ranged from 4°F below normal to near normal. Thirty-one of the region’s 35 major climate sites experienced a colder-than-normal March, with departures as much as 2.9°F below normal, in Pittsburgh, PA.

Despite being colder than normal, none of the major climate sites ranked this March among their 20 coldest.

March precipitation ranged from 25% of normal to 200% of normal in the Northeast.

A large portion of the Northeast was drier than normal, with the driest areas seeing 25% to 50% of normal precipitation. However, a few areas were quite wet, seeing 150% to 200% of normal precipitation. Of the 23 drier-than-normal climate sites, eight ranked this March among their 20 driest. However, Dulles Airport, VA, had its 10th wettest March on record. The site also had its wettest March day on record (since 1960) with 2.69 inches of rain on March 21.

This March ranked among the 20 driest on record at eight major climate sites and as the 10th wettest at Dulles Airport, VA.

The interior Northeast and Maine tended to be less snowy, while areas closer to the coast from Maryland to Massachusetts tended to be snowier.

March snowfall totals were wide-ranging, generally from 9 inches below normal in Maine, parts of New York, northern Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia to 12 inches above normal in southern and eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, and southern New England. Twenty major climate sites had a snowfall deficit, with two ranking this March among their 20 least snowy. Conversely, six of the fifteen snowier-than-normal sites ranked this March among their 20 snowiest.

March snowfall ranged from 11.3 inches below normal in Caribou, ME, to 8.4 inches above normal in Bridgeport, CT.

For April, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center indicates above-normal temperatures are favored for the entire Northeast. Equal chances of below-, near-, or above-normal precipitation are predicted for most of the Northeast for March, with a slight tilt towards wetter conditions in coastal areas from southeastern Maryland to southeastern Massachusetts.

Warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored for April in the Northeast.

Most areas in the Northeast fall into the equal chances category for April precipitation.