Midwest Overview - March, 2005

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March weather in the Midwest was generally cold and dry, yet the Midwest managed to experience the spectrum of normal spring conditions, from heavy snow to severe weather.

There was a distinct east to west temperature pattern over the region.  The coldest weather was found over the eastern half, while near normal weather dominated the west (Figure 1).  Temperatures during March ranged from 3F to 6F below normal over eastern Ohio to just slight above normal in far western portions of Iowa and Missouri.

Most of the Midwest received less than 75 percent of normal March precipitation. Only a small portion of southeastern Minnesota and the southern half of Ohio received normal or above precipitation (Figure 2).  In southeastern Minnesota, most of this resulted from a storm that dumped a foot or more of snowfall in southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin between March 18-20.  In Ohio, most of the precipitation came with an intense and low-moving low pressure system that moved through the region at the end of the month. 

Snow did manage to make big news this month in the Midwest (Figure 3).  21 inches of snow fell in Kiester, located in Faribault County, MN on March 18th, breaking the statewide record for the date.  The previous record was 20 inches at Albert Lea, MN in 1933.  Numerous locations in southern Minnesota reported between 15 and 20 inches of snow, including Rochester which reported an all-time single day record of 19.8 inches.  For several locations, the March 18 storm will be noted as one of the heaviest snowfalls ever in Minnesota during the month of March.

In Ohio (Figure 4), Cleveland experienced its seventh snowiest March on record with 19.8 inches, compared to the record of 26.7 inches set in 2001.  Mansfield had its fourth snowiest March with 16.3 inches.  The record was 19.1 inches in 1984.
 

Severe Weather

With the cool and dry conditions most of the month, severe weather was limited.  The first severe weather outbreak of the season for the Midwest occurred on March 30.  A number of tornado watches and severe thunderstorm watches were in effect for much of the central Midwest on this date.  Fourteen tornadoes were reported, but hail was the most widespread phenomena reported.  Baseball-sized (2.75") hail was reported in central Illinois.  Reports of smaller hail covering the ground were common with many of the storms. Fortunately, preliminary reports indicated few injuries and no fatalities with the storms.

One of the more unusual severe weather reports was of three waterspouts sighted on Kentucky Lake in southwestern Kentucky.  One of the waterspouts did cause some damage.  An anemometer located at a marina on the lake recorded a wind gust of 80 mph in the storms.