March 2026

[SACRUS]

43 / 40 clouds light rain / showers today.  Heavier rain >0.50-10 Thursday, with clouds lingering Friday and Saturday.   Sunday - Wed looks like the drier / much warmer stretch with some sun.   >60 Sunday  > 70 in the warmest spots Mon, Tue/Wed - could areas sw get to 80?.  Beyond there cooler near normal and then below normal arriving by mid month into the week of St Pattys Day.

 

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 72 (1974)
NYC: 70 (1974)
LGA: 69 (1946)
JFK: 59 (1965)

 

 

Lows:

EWR: 6 (1943)
NYC: 6 (1872)
LGA: 7 (1943)
JFK: 12 (1950)


Historical:

1717: New England's "Great Snow." occurred between 2/27 and 3/7. Four storms dumped 36 inches of snow at Boston, MA and as much as 4 feet further north. Drifts up to 25 feet were reported near Dorchester, MA. Travel was virtually impossible for nearly 3 weeks. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1780: Because of the very cold winter of 1779 - 1780 the port of Philadelphia was ice locked from December 21, 1779 until March 4, 1780. (p.30 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)


1873: The inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant remains Washington, DC’s, record cold March day. The low was 4 degrees; by noon (with sunshine) the temperature was 16 degrees (wind chills to -30 degrees). 40 mph winds made his inaugural address inaudible to most on the platform with him. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)
The minimum temperature for the date is 4 °F in Washington, DC. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)
 

1909 - Though fair weather was forecast, President Taft was inaugurated amidst a furious storm. About ten inches of wet snow disrupted travel and communications. The storm drew much criticism against the U.S. Weather Bureau. (David Ludlum)


1951: In Riverside, CA it was 28°, their lowest temperature on record for March. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

 

1953 - Snow was reported on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. (The Weather Channel)

 

1960: Eastern Massachusetts' most significant March snowstorm occurred on March 4-5th, 1960. The storm produced record 24-hour snowfall totals 27.2 inches at Blue Hill Observatory, 17.7 inches at Worcester, and 16.6 inches at Boston. Winds gusted to 70 mph.

1966 - A severe blizzard raged across Minnesota and North Dakota. The blizzard lasted four days producing up to 35 inches of snow, and wind gusting to 100 mph produced snow drifts 30 to 40 feet high. Bismarck ND reported zero visibility for 11 hours. Traffic was paralyzed for three days. (2nd-5th) (The Weather Channel)

 

1971: A potent storm system blasted the northeastern U.S. on March 3-5th, 1971. The barometric pressure dropped to 28.36 inches at Worcester, MA, for the lowest pressure recorded at that location.

 

1983: Brownsville, Texas, recorded a high of 100 degrees, the earliest the city has ever hit the century mark. 

1983: The maximum temperature for the date is 82 °F in Washington, DC. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1987 - Rain and high winds prevailed in the northwestern U.S. A wind gust to 69 mph at Klamath Falls OR was their highest in 25 years, and winds at the Ashland Ranger Station in the Siskiyou Mountains of northern California reached 85 mph. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - Snow and freezing rain made travel hazardous in Ohio and Indiana. A six car pile-up resulted near Columbus OH, with seven injuries reported. Up to two inches of ice glazed central Indiana. Up to ten inches of snow blanketed northern Ohio. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Lower Mississippi Valley. A strong (F-3) tornado injured five persons near Brownsville MS, and killed seven cows and two hogs in one pasture. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 90 mph at Canton MS. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - A Pacific cold front working its way across the western U.S. produced heavy snow over parts of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. Up to eleven inches of snow blanketed the valleys of northwest Utah, while 12 to 25 inches fell across the mountains of northern Utah. Up to six inches of snow blanketed the valleys of east central Nevada, while more than a foot of snow was reported in the high elevations. In Idaho, 6 to 8 inches of snow was reported around Aberdeen and American Falls. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

2004 - An F0 tornado 2 miles north of Muldrow breaks a record stretch of days without a reported tornado, 292 days.

2008 - Only two days after reaching 78 degrees, St. Louis receives nearly a foot of snow in seven hours, the biggest snowstorm in 15 years.

[snowman19]

3 hours ago, EastonSN+ said:

Gefs is 3 days later.

Verbatim, Colder? Yes. But an I-95 KU snowstorm pattern? I’m not so sure. Said it before, but come mid-late March, you want a stout west-based -NAO block/50-50 low and a stout -AO. You don’t have any of those….

[Brian5671]

6 minutes ago, snowman19 said:

Verbatim, Colder? Yes. But an I-95 KU snowstorm pattern? I’m not so sure. Said it before, but come mid-late March, you want a stout west-based -NAO block/50-50 low and a stout -AO. You don’t have any of those….

The NAO/AO will be the key whether we get anything-we almost have to have those in late winter

[EastonSN+]

11 minutes ago, snowman19 said:

Verbatim, Colder? Yes. But an I-95 KU snowstorm pattern? I’m not so sure. Said it before, but come mid-late March, you want a stout west-based -NAO block/50-50 low and a stout -AO. You don’t have any of those….

Or trough positioned correctly with a direct tap to cold air (-WPO, -EPO).

Not talking KU just accumulating snow.

[snowman19]

3 minutes ago, Brian5671 said:

The NAO/AO will be the key whether we get anything-we almost have to have those in late winter

That was HM’s big key years ago when he was still a member of these forums. He harped on the fact that you absolutely need decent west-based -NAO and -AO blocking in mid-late March to get I-95 corridor KU (snowstorm) events….

[WeatherGeek2025]

i'm looking at March 13th to March 18th for an overrunning big system that could produce a heavy snowstorm!

[vegan_edible]

21 minutes ago, snowman19 said:

Verbatim, Colder? Yes. But an I-95 KU snowstorm pattern? I’m not so sure. Said it before, but come mid-late March, you want a stout west-based -NAO block/50-50 low and a stout -AO. You don’t have any of those….

oh look! 41 degrees and rain potential! 

[snowman19]

17 minutes ago, EastonSN+ said:

Or trough positioned correctly with a direct tap to cold air (-WPO, -EPO).

Not talking KU just accumulating snow.

That modeled look is definitely -WPO but not -EPO (ridge over Alaska)

[Brian5671]

2 minutes ago, snowman19 said:

That modeled look is definitely -WPO but not -EPO (ridge over Alaska)

All that does it just make it colder than we want it to be heading into spring...hard pass on that.

[MANDA]

24 minutes ago, Brian5671 said:

All that does it just make it colder than we want it to be heading into spring...hard pass on that.

EURO AIFS has a pretty cold look roughly 3/16 - 3/22 with 850's 15-22 BN Ohio Valley to MA/NE.  After the coming warmth this will feel particularly unwelcome.  Cold the second half of March is unlikely to undo the warmth of the first half so not expecting March to finish below normal.  As for snowfall, the chances are low but not zero.  As others have said not a KU looking pattern but some accumulating snow especially interior not out of the question second half of the month but who really wants it at that point anyway.

[MJO812]

1 hour ago, WeatherGeek2025 said:

i'm looking at March 13th to March 18th for an overrunning big system that could produce a heavy snowstorm!

Agree. Big potential but time is running out.

[SnoSki14]

1 hour ago, WeatherGeek2025 said:

i'm looking at March 13th to March 18th for an overrunning big system that could produce a heavy snowstorm!

There's no mechanism for that. AO needs to go negative and I don't see that. Colder air is WPO driven with PV on our side of the globe. 

Probably a lot of lakes cutters, active start to severe weather season