Midwest Overview - March 2016

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Warm March Temperatures

Temperatures were well above normal in March, ranking 2016 as the 6th warmest March on record for the Midwest (in 122 years). Cold temperatures in the first few days of March gave way to well-above-normal temperatures in the weeks that followed with several days more than 20°F above normal. Later in the month, temperatures reverted closer to normal but still remained mostly above normal. For the month as a whole, departures from normal of around 4°F occurred along the southern border of Missouri and ranged to as much as 10°F above normal in parts of northwestern Minnesota (Figure 1). Statewide departures ranged from 5°F to 8°F above normal with all nine states ranking among the warmest 10% on record. The warmth also extended back over the recent months. Averages for the region over the preceding 2 to 12 months all ranked among the warmest 10% for their respective histories. The 2-month value (Feb-Mar) ranked as the 3rd warmest, 3-month (Jan-Mar) as the 9th warmest, and all periods from 4-month (Dec-Mar) to 12-month (Apr-Mar) ranked as the 2nd warmest since 1895.
 

Mixed Precipitation

March precipitation was below normal in western Minnesota, eastern Kentucky, and most of Missouri and above normal in the rest of the region (Figure 2). Precipitation was well above normal statewide in Wisconsin, more than twice the normal (Figure 3), ranking as the second wettest March since 1895. Michigan was also well above normal, ranking 4th wettest, and Minnesota ranked 13th wettest despite the western third of the state being below normal. The two most southern states, Missouri and Kentucky, were below normal for the month. The disparity in precipitation totals also appeared for 3-month totals which ranked among the wettest 10% in Wisconsin and Michigan while Missouri ranked as the 19th driest Jan-Mar in the last 122 years. Snow totals were also mixed (Figure 4), with well below normal March totals in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and above normal totals from the Iowa-Minnesota border eastward to Lower Michigan. Much of the southern half of the Midwest was below-normal for snow. The seasonal values for snowfall were mixed as well (Figure 5), with well below normal totals in Upper Michigan and above normal totals in much of Kentucky, parts of Michigan and Minnesota, and northwest Iowa. In Northwest Iowa, Sheldon (O'Brien County) received over 70" for the season-to-date which ranks it as the second snowiest in its history, just a few inches from the record set in 1961-62.
 

Snow Storms

Significant snows fell both early and late in the month. A storm that was already in progress as the month began, dropped snow along the Iowa-Minnesota border and eastward to Michigan. Snow totals in Michigan, reported on the morning of the 2nd, ranged up to 14 inches (Figure 6). Another storm brought snow from the Plains along a similar path, from northwest Iowa to Michigan on the 23rd through the 25th. Totals for this storm ranged from 5" to 10" along its path (Figure 7).
 

Severe Weather

Spring weather brought severe convective storms to the region (Figure 8). Most of the severe weather was in the southern two-thirds of the region but all nine states reported severe weather during the month. Severe weather was reported on 14 days in March with the busiest times on the 14th-15th, the 27th, and the 30th-31st with dozens of reports of tornadoes, large hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds. Following the passage of the storms on the 15th, strong non-convective winds of 40 to 60 mph across eastern Iowa, much of Illinois, and southern Wisconsin also caused damages, snapping trees and power poles.
 

No Drought in March

There was no drought in the Midwest in March, the third straight month without drought. The string of 13 consecutive weeks in the US Drought Monitor without drought in the Midwest is the longest such stretch in the 15+ year history of the US Drought Monitor. A few areas in Minnesota were noted as abnormally dry throughout the month and another abnormally dry region covering most of Missouri was noted in the March 29th release (Figure 9).
 

Lakes and Rivers Thaw Early

Lakes and rivers in the Midwest thawed earlier than usual in 2016. The Great Lakes shipping in Lake Erie began early in the month and spread westward to reach eastern Lake Superior by the end of the month. The Mississippi River shipping season began ahead of average, but not record-early in 2016. Minnesota inland lakes were ice-free in the southern two-thirds of the state with some near record ice-outs.
 

-MST-
The Iowa Climatology Bureau also contributed to this report.
The Minnesota State Climatology Office also contributed to this report.
The Missouri Climate Center also contributed to this report.