March 2019 Climate Summary - Cooler and wetter than normal across much of the region.

Overview and Graphics

March 2019 Climate Review: Temperatures averaged below normal by around 3 to 4 degrees. Overall, it was the coolest March since 2014. The first week of the month experienced temperatures well below normal on the order of 15 to 25 degrees. Lows dipped into the single digits and teens during this stretch. The majority of the rest of the month saw highs average in the 50s and 60s, with a couple of 70s as well.

Precipitation was varied across the region, but most of the region experienced wetter than normal conditions. This included portions of southeast Missouri closer to the Mississippi River, the Jackson Purchase region of west KY up into the Evansville Tri-State region, and most of southern Illinois. Amounts were 1 to 3 inches wetter than normal in these areas, which included Paducah and Evansville. Drier than normal conditions occurred across a few counties of the Missouri Ozark Foothills and close to the TN border in Graves and Calloway Counties in KY extending into much of the Pennryile region of western KY including the Owensboro area. The only measurable snow for the month occurred on March 3rd, when a couple tenths was observed at Paducah and Evansville.

Severe thunderstorms occurred on the morning of March 14th, which included several tornadoes. The strongest of these, an EF-2, touched down in the Paducah area and came within 2 miles of our office. Another severe weather event impacted mainly portions of southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois on March 24th. An EF-2 tornado occurred in Bollinger County Missouri with this event. Major river flooding along the Ohio River was ongoing at the beginning of the month, due to excessive rainfall in February. Once river levels lowered on the Ohio, they rose along the Mississippi River due to heavy rainfall upstream and a significant snow pack that melted in the upper Midwest.

The graphic below is an interpolated rainfall map using actual observations. Please note that there are likely discrepancies in between observations, since the values are estimated based on nearest reports.

March 2019 Review: Precipitation and Temperature Maps (Click on image to enlarge)

Climate Maps are from the Northeast Regional Climate Center

Monthly Summary Listings of normals and records for Paducah, Evansville, and Cape Girardeau

Monthly Climate Report: Paducah | Evansville | Cape Girardeau

Records Listing of records for Paducah, Evansville, and Cape Girardaeu

Record Event Reports: Paducah | Evansville | Cape Girardeau

Events

March 24, 2019: EF-2 tornado in Bollinger County, MO
March 14, 2019: Training supercells produce tornadoes during the morning including an EF-2 tornado hitting Paducah