MARCH 2019 MONTHLY SUMMARY

ROCKVILLE 2.8 WNW MARYLAND

by Kevin Shaw, Observer

 

March 2019 wound up about normal for temperatures (cooler than normal max temps balanced out by warmer than normal min temps)  based on new normals for my station developed out of the Oregon State Univ. PRISM program. My max temp (51.7°) was 1.8° below normal but my min temp (35.1°) was 1.7° above normal, resulting in the mean temperature (43.4°) to be normal. My total precipitation of 4.67″ was 0.93 above the newly computed normal precipitation March value for my station of 3.74”. Monthly total snowfall was 2.5”, bringing the seasonal total to 26.8”, probably about normal for this time of the winter. Snow normals are not computed by PRISM that I know of but I believe this March amount was within normal amounts for the month.  

            

There only one really cold day during the month (maximum on the 6^th of 28.7°,  minimum of 18.9°)  for my only sub-freezing max for the month, but the first 9 days of the month were generally colder than normal, roughly averaging out with max temps in the upper 30s and min temps in the upper 20s. All the monthly snowfall fell during this period.  The rest of the month was generally milder than normal including 3 days with max temps up in the 70s.

 

There were 10 days with measurable precipitation, highlighted by the monthly maximum of 2.40″ on the 21^st, easily the wettest day of the year so far accompanied by my monthly lowest pressure reading of 29.57” on that day and the 22^nd as the storm bottomed out right around midnight.  The max snowfall for the month of 1.5” fell on the 1^st.  The wettest storm period of the month was on the 21st-22nd when a total of 2.58” was recorded. With this very notable exception most of the other precipitation during the month fell during that cold period around the beginning of the month. The highest barometric pressure reading of the month of 30.55” on the 27^th occurred during a dry period that lasted the rest of the month after the big rain on the 21^st. There were no other really notable precipitation days during the month as all other wet days were well under an inch daily.  

 

The highest dew point temperature reached during the month was 62° on the 15th when I also recorded my warmest reading of the month (75.6°). The lowest dew point temperature value was reached on the 6^th (coldest day of the month) when a value of +5° was recorded.  

 

March had 11 cloudy days, 12 partly cloudy days, and 8 clear/sunny days. There were 671 heating degree days and 1 cooling degree day during the month. There were 7 foggy days, 2 windy days, and 3 days with snowfall during the month.

 

Daily max/min temperatures varied a bit more than they did in February. My maximum temperature frequencies included 3 days over 70°, 5 days between 60° and 69°, 7 days between 50° and 59°, 9 days between 40° and 49°, 6 days between 30° and 39°, and 1 day below 30°.  On the minimum temperature frequency side of things, there was 1 day below 20°, 5 days between 20° and 29°, 18 days between 30° and 39°, 5 days between 40° and 49° and 2 days above 50°. The coldest daily max temperature was 28.7° on the 6th while the warmest daily min temp of 55.9° was on the 15th.   

 

The diurnal range daily monthly average was 16.5° (- 3.6°). Our greatest daily range of temperature was 33.1° on the 31st, formed from a high of 66.1° and the low of 33.0°. We had a total of 8 days with daily ranges above 20.0°. Our lowest range of temperature was 5.2° (36.2°-31.0°) on the 1^st during our biggest snow of the month. There were 6 total days with diurnal temperature ranges of less than 10.0° throughout the month, mostly during the colder/wetter first third of the month. It’s an interesting pattern to note that the min range occurred on the first day of the month and the max range occurred on the last day of the month.

 

March 2019 was a typical transitional month from winter to spring, with patterns during the month filling the bill quite well. No problems were experienced with my weather station during the month thank goodness.

 

My March 2019 spreadsheet data file:

2019-03-Rockville-2.8-WNW 

 

ROCKVILLE 2.8 WNW MARYLAND   MARCH 2019

SUMMARY STATISTICS

 

Average high temperature                         51.7°  (-  1.8°)

Average low temperature                           35.1° (+ 1.7°)

Mean temperature                                      43.4°  (+ 0.0°)

 

Precipitation                                                 4.67″ (+0.93”)

Greatest daily amount (date)                      2.40″    (21)

Greatest storm total (dates)                        2.58”  (21-22)

2019 year-to-date precipitation total        12.03″ (+2.63”)

 

Snowfall                                                        2.5”

Greatest daily amount (date)                       1.5″     (1)

Greatest storm total (dates)                         1.5”     (1)

Seasonal snowfall total                              26.8″

 

High temperature for the month (date)      75.6°   (15)

Low temperature for the month  (date)      18.9°   (6)

 

Highest barometric pressure (date)           30.55” (27)

Lowest barometric pressure (date)            29.57” (21,22)

 

Peak wind gust (date/direction):                  N/A

 

Heating degree days for the month:            671

Cooling degree days for the month:              1

 

Greatest diurnal range (date):                      33.1° (31)

Least diurnal range (date)                              5.2°  (1)

 

Number of days:

 

Fog                                      7                  

Windy                                  2

Snow                                   3

Sleet                                    0

Glaze                                   0   

Cloudy                                11

Partly Cloudy                      12

Sunny/Clear                         8

Max temp ≥ 70°                   3

Max temp  =<  32°              1

Min temp  =<  32°               8

Precip ≥  0.01”                   10