000
CXUS51 KBUF 052049
CLMROC

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
923 AM EDT MON APR 01 2024

...................................

...THE ROCHESTER NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2024...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2024

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             86   03/29/1905
 LOW              -9   03/06/2014
HIGHEST           74   03/05                          59  03/22
LOWEST            18   03/22                          18  03/12
                       03/24
AVG. MAXIMUM    50.1               43.6     6.5     42.3
AVG. MINIMUM    32.8               26.8     6.0     27.7
MEAN            41.5               35.2     6.3     35.0
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     3                5.8    -2.8        2
DAYS MIN <= 32    14               23.2    -9.2       28
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                0.2    -0.2        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM        7.02   1873
 MINIMUM        0.47   1958
TOTALS          1.94               2.49   -0.55     3.27
DAYS >= .01       16                                  16
DAYS >= .10        8                                   7
DAYS >= .50        0                                   3
DAYS >= 1.00       0                                   0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   0.33   03/22 TO 03/23               0.95  03/03 TO 03/04

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          54.0   1900
TOTALS           9.1               17.9    -8.8     20.5
SINCE 7/1       51.6               98.9   -47.3       MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     0                                   2
DAYS >= 1.0        3                4.1    -1.1        6
DAYS >= 0.1        8                                  10
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        3   03/23                           6  03/11
                                                          03/12
 24 HR TOTAL      MM                                 6.8  03/10 TO 03/11

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    720                924    -204      923
 SINCE 7/1      4586               5446    -860       MM
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0       MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    33/280
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    49/180    DATE  03/09

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.71
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            2
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             12
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         17

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     64

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              1     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       3
LIGHT RAIN               10     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                3     SNOW                       5
LIGHT SNOW                9     SLEET                      1
FOG                      16     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      5
HAZE                      1

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

... SUMMER-LIKE START, WINTER-LIKE END TO MARCH ...

MARCH IS OFTEN A CHANGEABLE MONTH, AND SUCH WAS THE CASE THIS YEAR
WITH A VARIETY OF WEATHER PATTERNS. THE MONTH BEGAN VERY WARM WITH
RECORD BREAKING WARMTH AND PLEASANT DAYS. AS THE FINAL DAYS OF
ASTRONOMICAL WINTER ENDED THE SCRIPT CHANGED, AND A PERIOD OF COOL
TEMPERATURES, AND SNOW BEGAN THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS OF SPRING. 

THE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH AVERAGED 41.5°F, WHICH IS 8TH WARMEST
ON RECORD. THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH AVERAGED CLOSE TO 14 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL, WHILE THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH AVERAGED JUST UNDER
NORMAL TEMPERATURE. THERE WERE 2 DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES
ESTABLISHED, THESE ON THE 4TH AT 72F (69F/1974) AND 5TH AT 74F
(67F/2004). THERE WERE ALSO TWO RECORD WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES
ESTABLISHED, THESE OCCURRING ON THE 3RD AT 44F (41F/1874), AND 5TH
AT 53F (48/1894). THE CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN THE 70S ON THE 4TH AND 5TH
ARE THE EARLIEST CONSECUTIVE 70F+ DEGREES TEMPERATURES ON RECORD TO
START THE YEAR.

PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.94 INCHES FOR THE MONTH, WHICH IS ABOUT HALF
AN INCH BELOW NORMAL. THE WETTEST DAY WAS NOT THAT WET AT ALL, WITH
JUST 0.27 INCHES RECORDED ON THE 14TH. THIS IS THE 10TH LOWEST TOTAL
IN AIRPORT RECORDS FOR MAXIMUM DAILY PRECIPITATION IN THE MONTH OF
MARCH. THE FINAL 8 DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE DRY, WITH NOTHING MORE
THAN A TRACE OF PRECIPITATION RECORDED. THE 16 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION IS EXACTLY NORMAL. SNOWFALL TOTALED 9.1 INCHES WHICH
IS ALMOST 9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. 

RECORD WARMTH THAT ENDED FEBRUARY TOOK A BRIEF PAUSE THE FIRST FEW
DAYS OF MARCH, WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND 50 THE FIRST 3 DAYS OF THE
MONTH, WHICH WERE STILL WELL ABOVE NORMAL. AS A DEEP TROUGH CARVED
ITS WAY THROUGH THE ROCKIES, WARM AIR SURGED NORTHWARD ACROSS THE
GREAT LAKES REGION, STARTING ON THE 4TH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE SURGED
TO 72F AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT. THE 5TH WAS REMARKABLY WARM WITH AN
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE MORE THAN 30 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. SEVERAL
FRONTAL PASSAGES THE 5TH THROUGH THE 11TH BROUGHT LIGHT
PRECIPITATION TO WESTERN NEW YORK, WHILE TAKING THE EDGE OFF THE
WARMTH. PRECIPITATION ON THE 10TH AND 11TH FELL AS SNOW, WITH AN
INCH OR TWO OF WET SNOW ACCUMULATING IN THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA.
TEMPERATURES REMAINED ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE 17TH. 

THE 18TH THROUGH THE 24TH BROUGHT A BRIEF PERIOD OF WINTER`S COLD,
COMPLETE WITH LAKE EFFECT SNOW, GRAUPEL AND THEN UNDER A SLOW MOVING
UPPER LEVEL LOW, UPSLOPE SNOW TO WESTERN NEW YORK. THE 19TH THROUGH
THE 21ST BROUGHT DAY TO DAY SNOW THAT ADDED UP TO 3 TO 6 INCHES
ACROSS THE METRO AREA. A SYNOPTIC LOW PASSED ACROSS THE REGION ON
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THE 21ST AND 22ND WITH UP TO A HALF A FOOT OF
WIDESPREAD SNOW ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. INCREASING AMOUNTS OF
BRIGHT SUNSHINE AND COLD TEMPERATURES ON THE 23RD MAINTAINED THIS
SNOW INTO THE START OF THE WEEKEND, WHICH WAS ONE LAST GASP OF
OUTDOOR WINTER FUN IN THIS OVERALL MILD WINTER. THIS SNOW DID NOT
LAST LONG AS TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 50S ON THE 25TH RAPIDLY
DEPLETED LEFTOVER SNOW. AIR TEMPERATURES AROUND NORMAL THE LAST 4
DAYS OF THE MONTH LOWERED THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH, BUT
NOT ENOUGH TO REMOVE MARCH 2024 FROM BEING A TOP 10 WARMEST MONTH ON
RECORD.

THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED WAS RIGHT AROUND NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. THE
STRONGEST WIND GUST WAS 49 MPH ON THE 9TH AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. 

OVERALL, A MILD MONTH, WITH ONE WEEK OF WINTER CONDITIONS.

&&

THOMAS

$$