March 1-7, 2024

Above-Average Temperatures

March started with widespread warmth across the region. Temperatures were 12-15°F above normal (Figure 1). Some isolated pockets of the Upper Midwest were as much as 18°F above normal for the week. Michigan and Minnesota both had an average temperature that was 14.4°F above normal, the highest in the region. Wisconsin was not far behind at 14°F above normal.

Minimum temperatures averaged 10-15°F above normal (Figure 2). Green Bay, Wisconsin and Madison, Wisconsin both set daily minimum temperature records on March 3, with temperatures of 40°F and 43°F, respectively. On the same day, a minimum temperature of 40°F in Minneapolis, Minnesota was the warmest on record for that date. On March 4, St. Louis, Missouri had a minimum temperature of 63°F, which was tied for the second warmest minimum temperature this early in the calendar year. At Lafayette 8 S (Tippecanoe County, Indiana), the minimum temperature was 57°F on March 4, which was tied for the warmest minimum temperature this early in the calendar year.

Maximum temperatures were very anomalous. Much of the region saw maximum temperatures that were 18-22°F above normal (Figure 3). Southern parts of the region were generally 13-17°F above normal. Paducah, Kentucky reached 75°f on March 5 for the 5th time this calendar year, the most 75°F+ days this early in the year. In Houghton Lake, Michigan, the mercury reached 68°F on March 4, which was not only a daily record, but the second warmest temperature so early in the calendar year, with the other time being a 69°F reading the week before on February 27, 2024. In Flint, Michigan, the temperature reached 72°f on March 4, which was the second earliest 72°F+ temperature, with the other occurring the week before on February 27, 2024.

Precipitation

Precipitation was not very plentiful this week. Parts of Minnesota and western Iowa received no precipitation. There was some decent precipitation along Lake Michigan, where places like Chicago, Milwaukee and northern Michigan received over 175 percent of normal precipitation (Figure 4). The Ohio Valley received roughly 125 percent of normal precipitation, while much fo the rest of the region was between 25-75 percent.

On March 5, a landspout touched down near Leipsic, Ohio in Putnam County. It was rated an EF-0, and caused some roof damage to area structures. This was from the same system that brought over 1 inch of rain to Chicagoland, Milwaukee, and northwestern Michigan. Some hail reached 1.75 inches in diameter in the Chicago area late March 4 into March 5, and wind gusts of 50+ mph were reported in the Aurora, Illinois area.

Snowfall was virtually nonexistent across the region this week, as temperatures warmed to record levels. In northwestern Minnesota, there was some accumulating snow of 3-5 inches (Figure 5).

When it came to dryness across the region, slight increases in coverage were noted. D0 conditions now cover 77 percent of the Midwest as of March 5, up from 73 percent on February 27 (Figure 6). D1 was introduced in Missouri and slightly expanded over northern Wisconsin. Conditions remained unchanged elsewhere.