Text Products for CLM Issued by BUF

Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
000
CXUS51 KBUF 052045
CLMBUF

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

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

...THE BUFFALO 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             82   03/21/2012
 LOW              -7   03/08/1984
HIGHEST           72   03/04                          56  03/22
                       03/05
LOWEST            16   03/22                          21  03/19
AVG. MAXIMUM    48.6               41.8     6.8     41.4
AVG. MINIMUM    32.9               26.4     6.5     29.1
MEAN            40.8               34.1     6.7     35.2
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     2                6.4    -4.4        3
DAYS MIN <= 32    13               22.7    -9.7       24
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                0.3    -0.3        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM        7.03   1936
 MINIMUM        0.68   1910
TOTALS          2.11               2.89   -0.78     4.05
DAYS >= .01       17                                  MM
DAYS >= .10        9                                  MM
DAYS >= .50        0                                  MM
DAYS >= 1.00       0                                  MM
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   0.36   03/14 TO 03/15               1.10  03/03 TO 03/04

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          38.5   1936
TOTALS          11.2               14.1    -2.9     10.0
SINCE 7/1       70.8               92.9   -22.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     1                                   1
DAYS >= 1.0        4                3.6     0.4        2
DAYS >= 0.1        7                                   9
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        6R  03/23                           5  03/11
 24 HR TOTAL      MM

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    744                958    -214      915
 SINCE 7/1      4624               5576    -952       MM
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0       MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.8
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    32/270
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    49/220    DATE  03/19

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            2
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             14
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         15

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     69

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                3     RAIN                       2
LIGHT RAIN               14     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                3     SNOW                       3
LIGHT SNOW               10     SLEET                      0
FOG                      15     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      5
HAZE                      0

-  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 40.8°F, WHICH IS 9TH WARMEST
ON RECORD. THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH AVERAGED CLOSE TO 15 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL, WHILE THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH AVERAGED MUCH
CLOSER TO NORMAL. THERE WERE 3 DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES
ESTABLISHED, THESE ON THE 4TH AT 72F (63F/1974), 5TH AT 72F
(68F/2004) AND 8TH AT 66F (65F/1921). THERE WERE ALSO TWO RECORD
WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES ESTABLISHED, THESE OCCURRING ON THE 3RD AT
42F (39F/1874), AND 5TH AT 52F (47/1894). THE CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN
THE 70S ON THE 4TH AND 5TH ARE THE EARLIEST CONSECUTIVE 70+ DEGREES
TEMPERATURES ON RECORD TO START METEOROLOGICAL SPRING (MARCH 1ST).

PRECIPITATION TOTALED 2.11 INCHES FOR THE MONTH, WHICH IS ABOUT
THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL. EIGHT OF THE PAST TWELVE
MONTHS HAVE HAD NEGATIVE PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES. THE WETTEST DAY
WAS NOT THAT WET AT ALL, WITH JUST 0.33 INCHES RECORDED ON THE 14TH.
THIS IS THE 7TH LOWEST TOTAL IN AIRPORT RECORDS FOR MAXIMUM DAILY
PRECIPITATION IN THE MONTH OF MARCH. THE 17 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION IS ONE DAY MORE THAN AVERAGE. SNOWFALL TOTALED 11.2
INCHES WHICH IS 2.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE SNOWIEST MARCH
SINCE 2018 WHICH HAD 22.2 INCHES OF SNOW. 

RECORD WARMTH THAT ENDED FEBRUARY TOOK A BRIEF PAUSE THE FIRST FEW
DAYS OF MARCH, WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S 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 BUFFALO 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 FELL AS SNOW, WITH AROUND TWO
INCHES OF WET SNOW IN THE BUFFALO 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. THE 19TH THROUGH THE 21ST BROUGHT DAY
TO DAY SNOW THAT ADDED UP TO AROUND A FOOT AND A HALF ON THE PEAKS
OF THE BOSTON HILLS, WITH AROUND 3 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATING AT
LOWER ELEVATIONS OF BUFFALO. A SYNOPTIC LOW PASSED ACROSS THE REGION
ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THE 21ST AND 22ND WITH 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, ONE LAST GASP OF OUTDOOR WINTER
FUN IN THIS OVERALL MILD WINTER. THIS SNOW DID NOT LAST LONG AS
TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 60S 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 WATER TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ERIE FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 36 AND 40
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. THROUGH THE FIRST 3 WEEKS
OF THE MONTH THIS WATER TEMPERATURE WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD. ONLY
A COOLER END TO THE MONTH DROPPED THE WATER TEMPERATURE FROM RECORD
TERRITORY. THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED WAS JUST BELOW NORMAL FOR THE
MONTH. THE STRONGEST WIND GUST WAS 49 MPH BRIEFLY MIDDAY ON THE
19TH. 

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

&&

THOMAS

$$
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
