Climatological Report (Monthly) Issued by NWS
000
CXUS53 KGRR 011642 CCA
CLMMKG
CLIMATE REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
1214 PM EDT MON APR 1 2013
...................................
...THE MUSKEGON MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2013...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1895 TO 2013
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 82 03/21/2012
03/20/2012
08/06/1918
LOW -11 03/16/1897
HIGHEST 55 03/30 65 -10 82 03/20
03/21
LOWEST 8 03/04 7 1 19 03/05
AVG. MAXIMUM 38.4 43.0 -4.6 58.3
AVG. MINIMUM 24.4 27.0 -2.6 41.1
MEAN 31.4 35.0 -3.6 49.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 6 4.6 1.4 2
DAYS MIN <= 32 28 21.7 6.3 8
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.59 1976
MINIMUM 0.00 1936
1910
TOTALS 1.25 2.25 -1.00 3.39
DAILY AVG. 0.04 0.07 -0.03 0.11
DAYS >= .01 11 11.2 -0.2 8
DAYS >= .10 3 5.8 -2.8 6
DAYS >= .50 1 1.0 0.0 3
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.2 -0.2 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.62 03/10 TO 03/10
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 35.7 1965
24 HR TOTAL 10.5 03/02/2002 TO 03/02/2002
SNOW DEPTH 22 03/01/1963
TOTALS 5.7 9.0 -3.3 5.6
SINCE 7/1 98.6 91.4 7.2 55.7
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 3 4 -1 0
DAYS >= TRACE 11 6.3 4.7 6
DAYS >= 1.0 3 2.8 0.2 1
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 9 03/02 5 03/04
03/01
24 HR TOTAL 1.5 03/20 TO 03/20
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1034 930 104 493
SINCE 7/1 5456 5662 -206 4507
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 27
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 27
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/22/1976
LATEST 06/22/1992
EARLIEST 10/14
LATEST 05/04
....................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.8
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 3/322
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 26/270 DATE 03/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 37/250 DATE 03/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 9
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 9
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 13
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 67
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 8 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 4
LIGHT SNOW 11 SLEET 0
FOG 11 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 4
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
MARCH OF 2013 WAS COOLER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL IN SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN. A MAJORITY OF THE MONTH HAD DAILY TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW
AVERAGE ACCOMPANIED BY A FEW LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS.
THE ENTIRE AREA RANGED FROM 3 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE IN CENTRAL LOWER
MICHIGAN TO 5 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST. MONTHLY
AVERAGES FOR GRAND RAPIDS... LANSING AND MUSKEGON ALL HOVERED AROUND
31 DEGREES WHICH IS ABOUT 4 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. THE FIRST WEEK OF
MARCH CONSISTED OF HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT ONLY BREACHED AVERAGE ONCE
IN GRAND RAPIDS AND MUSKEGON... ON THE 6TH. TEMPERATURES THEN
CLIMBED INTO THE LOWER 40S ON THE 8TH AND 9TH WHICH WAS NEAR NORMAL.
THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY HIGH TEMPERATURES SPANNING THE UPPER 40S AND
MID 50S ON THE 10TH AND 11TH. HIGHS AT ALL THREE CLIMATE SITES
RANGED 8 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A SHARP COLD FRONT MOVED
THROUGH LATER ON THE 11TH BRINGING TEMPERATURES BACK DOWN WELL BELOW
AVERAGE. COLD AIR REMAINED LOCKED IN AND WOULD NOT RETREAT FOR OVER
TWO WEEKS. HIGHS GENERALLY RANGED FROM THE MID 20S TO NEAR 40
DEGREES DURING THIS PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WOULD FINALLY RETURN TO THE
MID 40S AND LOWER 50S ON THE 28TH AND 29TH BREAKING THE MOLD OF
COOLER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THE 30TH WAS THE ONLY DAY TO RIVAL
THE MID 50S FROM THE 10TH AND 11TH. THE 50S HELD ON FOR EASTERN
PORTIONS OF THE AREA ON THE 31ST BUT CLOUD COVER MADE 40S COMMON
CLOSER TO THE LAKE.
MANY LOCATIONS WERE WELL BELOW NORMAL ON PRECIPITATION FOR THE
MONTH OF MARCH. MUSKEGON WAS THE LONE CLIMATE SITE TO BREAK ONE INCH
IN TOTAL PRECIPITATION... WITH JUST UNDER ONE INCH IN GRAND RAPIDS
AND LANSING. DESPITE THIS... ALL THREE CLIMATE SITES WERE AN INCH OR
MORE BELOW AVERAGE. INLAND AREAS SUFFERED MOST WITH DEFICITS GREATER
THAN ONE INCH WHILE ONLY SATISFYING 25 TO 50 PERCENT OF THEIR NORMAL
VALUES. A MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED BETWEEN THE
10TH AND THE 21ST. THE ONLY DATES TO EQUAL OR EXCEED 0.01 OF AN INCH
OF PRECIPITATION OUTSIDE THIS SPAN OCCURRED ON THE 25TH... 26TH AND
31ST. HOWEVER THESE AMOUNTS WERE ALSO SMALL RANGING FROM 0.01 TO
0.06 OF AN INCH WITH THE 31ST ACCOUNTING FOR MOST OF WHAT FELL ON
THESE THREE DATES.
MARCH SNOWFALL FOR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN WAS ALSO BELOW NORMAL IN
MANY LOCATIONS. ONLY AREAS IN NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND EXTREME
SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN RANGED 1 TO 5 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. ALMOST
ALL OTHER LOCATIONS RANGED SLIGTHLY BELOW NORMAL TO 3 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL WITH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE UP TO 5 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. GRAND RAPIDS RECORDED 7.7 INCHES OF SNOW WHICH WAS 0.6
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. LANSING HAD A TOTAL OF 5.2 INCHES OF SNOWFALL
THAT FELL 1.8 INCHES SHORT OF AVERAGE AND MUSKEGON FAIRED WORST OF
THE THREE SITES WITH A 3.3 INCH DEFICIT AFTER TOTALING 5.7 INCHES OF
SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH.
$$
63 JAM