March 2014 Revisited
March 2014 was exciting, exactly like February, only different:
Above average: Temperature, rainfall (total precipitation), snowfall
Average or near: Solar radiation
Below Average: Wind
March came in like the proverbial lion this year. On the 1st of the month, it snowed 1". Not too unusual for early March. More unusual, though, was the 6.5" of snow the next day, which set a new snowfall record for any March 2nd in Hood River. And then... rain, rain, and more rain for nearly the whole month. There were only 9 days in March when it didn't rain, and most of those were during the first week of Spring.
And, as in February, record daily flows were set on the Hood at Tucker Bridge during March. As warmer temperatures prevailed, and the rains continued, 7 consecutive daily flow records were set, from March 5th through the 11th. Nowhere near flood stage, but records none the less.
After a really cold February, March turned warmer than average. My station's average temperature of 45.7° was warmer than the long term March average of 43.8°, and a little warmer than the more recent (2001-2013) average of 44.6°. The official average temperature in Hood River, recorded at HOXO, was 45.2°.
The maximum temperature (at my station) was 66°, and the low temp was 26°. Official Hood River highs and lows (at HOXO) were the same: 66° and 26°. We're in tune, or something, at least for March.
Solar radiation averaged 287 Ly/day, compared to an average March of 286 Ly/day, almost an exact match. A little surprising, due to all the rain (and therefore cloud cover), but apparently cloud cover isn't too unusual for any given March.
The 24 hour average wind speed (for the month) at my weather station was 2.0 mph, compared to an average March wind speed of 2.8 mph. The peak wind gust was 31 mph on the 14th. Wind speeds at other less sheltered locations (like the Waterfront) were, of course, higher.
Barometric pressure peaked at 30.58", and the low barometric was 29.52".
Regarding rainfall (including melted snowfall), my station received 5.79", while HOXO recorded 5.21". An average March receives 3.17", and, as in February, this went a long way towards moving us closer to water year averages.
Regarding snowfall, we received 7.5" total, whereas an average March receives 2.2". According to MCAREC's official records, this was the most snow received in March since 1962! Hard to believe, but apparently true.
And lastly, regarding local weather records, we set 4 in March. On the 2nd, we received 6.5" of snow, breaking the previous record of 5" in 1962). On the 5th, 0.95" of rain fell (old record 0.74" in 1996). And then, as things warmed up, the low temperatures on the 6th and 9th (44° and 48° respectively) set new "high low" temperature records for those dates (43° in 1997 and 47° in 1983, respectively).
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 2014, 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.
March is an amazing month of transition; from Winter darkness into Spring lightness. And as such, it's a very welcome renewal of wonder, hope, and faith in the wisdom of the Universe. In other words, a Ticket to Heaven, which we've all been given, in the Here and Now, if we just take the time to appreciate it, while we can. All the way....to Paradise...
