Information on Early March Heat

Temperatures for the first couple weeks of March 2016 have been well above normal. Multiple days have seen record high values broken, especially since March 6th.

The primary reason is likely the lack of snow cover across the region. In fact, the airmass across the region is not unusual for this time of year, typically occuring once every couple years, yet we are breaking record temperature values. Looking at the past 97 years of data, around 25% of those years are without snowcover during the first couple weeks of March. The combination of a warm airmass combined with bare ground is leading to the very warm temperatures. Another reason is the lack of snowcover to the north and south of region, leading to airmasses remaining warm as they move into our region.

You may have noticed that the past few years (2012, 2015, & 2016) have been warm during the early portion of March, with multiple days of record high temperatures. The right combination of a warm airmass (common) combined with minimal snow cover (less common) has led to these conditions.