March 2012 Revisited

Compared to Hood River historical averages, here's March 2012, plain and simple:

Above average: Rainfall
Average or near: Solar radiation
Below Average: Temperature, rainfall, snowfall, and wind

If plain and simple is good enough for you (it is for me), then skip down to the video, or go back to whatever web site you were browsing previously. For those who relish the weather data, continue reading.
My station's average temperature of 42.6° was a little cooler than the long term March average of 43.8°, and considerably cooler than the more recent (2001-2011) average of 44.6°. The official average temperature in Hood River, recorded at HOXO, was 42.5°, matching my station's average, which is spooky, because this is the second month in a row for a near match. Wooooo...

The maximum temperature (at my station) in March was 64°, and the low temp was 28°. Official Hood River highs and lows (at HOXO) were 62° and 28°, another good match. The high heat index for the month was 64°, and the low wind chill was 23°.

Solar radiation averaged 274 Ly/day, compared to an average March solar radiation of 287 Ly/day.It was a very rainy month. Official precipitation totaled 5.87" at HOXO, and 6.27" at my station, compared to an average of 3.17". The official high rain day was 0.97" on the 30th, while my station recorded 1.43" on that day. Not a record, but impressive.

1" of snow fell on the 21st. Average snowfall for March in Hood River is 2.2".

Winds, which were almost exclusively from the west this month, were the lowest average March wind speeds since at least 2001, when I started keeping track of such things. The 24 hour average wind speed at my weather station was 2.2 mph, compared to an average March wind speed of 2.9 mph. The peak wind gust was 33 mph on the 11th. Wind speeds at other less sheltered locations, such as the Columbia River, were almost certainly higher.Barometric pressure peaked at 30.47" on the 2nd. Low barometric was 29.34" on the 11th.

There were 3 local weather records set this month. The first was on March 14, when the high temperature only made it up to 37°, crushing the old "low high" record of 45° set in 1984. On the 20th, we received 0.82" of rain, with the old record being 0.54" (1967). The next day, we were blessed with 1" of snow, which squeaked by the previous record of 0.8" (1985). Exciting stuff, eh?
These monthly summaries use data from my weather station located near May and Rand Streets in Hood River. To view my weather station's data for March 2012, click here.For official Hood River data, and historical averages/records, the data comes from both the manually read NOAA station at MCAREC, and HOXO, the automated station located right next to MCAREC.

Continuing the "Power of Love" theme from last month, here's a tune for those old, ancient folks (like me) who enjoy Leonard Cohen's poems set to music, and cringe when having to listen to anything by Huey Lewis (not like me). I like 'em both, so I guess I'm stuck in the middle again. Anyway, it's Spring, and it's sprung, and we made it through another Winter.