March 2026

[Brian5671]

30 minutes ago, EasternLI said:

Really impressive.

 

 

The cold was relentless...there was a 10 day break in early Jan but that was it.   

[SACRUS]

The clearing never worked down much south beyond i-80

 

EWR: 47 / 35 (+3)
NYC: 49 / 35 (+3)

[forkyfork]

41 minutes ago, EasternLI said:

Really impressive.

 

 

any record lows?

[EasternLI]

16 minutes ago, forkyfork said:

any record lows?

Nah, that's a thing of the past. 

[jm1220]

10 hours ago, psv88 said:

Ah yes. My favorite time of year. When it’s in the 70s in Quebec and the 50s on Long Island. 

Our dirt ice piles in the shopping malls might last a couple days longer than the Hudson Valley’s though. 

[donsutherland1]

Dry weather will be short-lived. Additional rain will arrive tomorrow and continue into Friday. A general 0.50"-1.50" rainfall is likely. Highs will likely reach the lower 40s tomorrow and Friday. 

It will turn noticeably warmer during the weekend. Long Island and coastal sections could be noticeably cooler than interior sections on a number of days on account of a chilly onshore flow.

The ENSO Region 1+2 anomaly was +1.0°C and the Region 3.4 anomaly was -0.1°C for the week centered around February 25. For the past six weeks, the ENSO Region 1+2 anomaly has averaged +0.62°C and the ENSO Region 3.4 anomaly has averaged -0.28°C. Neutral ENSO conditions have now developed. Neutral ENSO conditions will continue through at least mid-spring.

The SOI was +19.53 today. 

The preliminary Arctic Oscillation (AO) was +1.240 today. 

 

[BoulderWX]

1 hour ago, jm1220 said:

Our dirt ice piles in the shopping malls might last a couple days longer than the Hudson Valley’s though. 

Ha! So excited to see it all go over the next week. Was a good winter but glad it’s pretty much over! 

[the_other_guy]

3 hours ago, EasternLI said:

Really impressive.

 

 

Next winter is going to suck.

[MJO812]

1 hour ago, the_other_guy said:

Next winter is going to suck.

Magic ball ?

[PhiEaglesfan712]

1 hour ago, the_other_guy said:

Next winter is going to suck.

Not really, recently all of our cold/snowy winters seem to be consecutive: 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05; 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11; and 2013-14, 2014-15.

[jm1220]

9 hours ago, BoulderWX said:

Ha! So excited to see it all go over the next week. Was a good winter but glad it’s pretty much over! 

Snow is taking a beating-yesterday with temps well in the 40s and sun and definitely today with rain and 40. 

[jm1220]

9 hours ago, the_other_guy said:

Next winter is going to suck.

If we go into a weak to moderate Nino hopefully not. Would still be great to get out of this perma-Nina state with the boiling western Pacific dominating the pattern. 

[EastonSN+]

8 hours ago, PhiEaglesfan712 said:

Not really, recently all of our cold/snowy winters seem to be consecutive: 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05; 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11; and 2013-14, 2014-15.

Not recent, and the 2nd year was only 29.4 barely above average, however you can include 77/78 and 78/79 (77/78 also had 2 KUs, one of which mixed with sleet like this year and the other a bomb cyclone like this year).

[BoulderWX]

12 minutes ago, jm1220 said:

Snow is taking a beating-yesterday with temps well in the 40s and sun and definitely today with rain and 40. 

Yup and the weekend will take care of the rest in time for the beautiful weather next week 

[WeatherGeek2025]

still looking interesting from March 12th-20th if you're looking for snow!

[jm1220]

10 minutes ago, BoulderWX said:

Yup and the weekend will take care of the rest in time for the beautiful weather next week 

Beautiful is always tough to come by here. Those waters are chilly and stay that way for 2+ more months. 

[EastonSN+]

This is interesting.

Only 4 winters starting with 1970 through last year had over 5 inches of snow in both December and March.

 

[wthrmn654]

What's been also relentless is my snow pack.. I still have a snow pack dating back to what.. January snow sleet storm and then the blizzard?  This is from a few mintues ago. I'm guessing 3-5 inches still solid snow pack with snow on my roof and other roofs in areas still....

[bluewave]

With a little luck, the worst of the heat this summer stays to our West. But you can see the case for pieces of heat coming east from time to time.

Developing El Niño summers after La Niña winters have sometimes featured the strongest heat out West. Looks like a bit of a continuation of the winter pattern with the strongest Euro heat signal out West like we saw with the record warmth there this winter.

The spring forecast also suggests an active backdoor potential with the Northeast being the coolest relative to other areas 
 

 

 

[Freezing Drizzle]

2 minutes ago, bluewave said:

With a little luck, the worst of the heat this summer stays to our West. But you can see the case for pieces of heat coming east from time to time.

Developing El Niño summers after La Niña winters have sometimes featured the strongest heat out West. Looks like a bit of a continuation of the winter pattern with the strongest Euro heat signal out West like we saw with the record warmth there this winter.

The spring forecast also suggests an active backdoor potential with the Northeast being the coolest relative to other areas 
 

 

 

"The spring forecast also suggests an active backdoor potential with the Northeast being the coolest relative to other areas."

Yeah, springtime can be overrated in this area. smh 
When my son moved to Philadelphia, I told him. "At least you'll have milder springs."
He does. Blooms of the same plants run a week or two earlier there.
 

[bluewave]

4 minutes ago, Freezing Drizzle said:

"The spring forecast also suggests an active backdoor potential with the Northeast being the coolest relative to other areas."

Yeah, springtime can be overrated in this area. smh 
When my son moved to Philadelphia, I told him. "At least you'll have milder springs."
He does. Blooms of the same plants run a week or two earlier there.
 

I posted this in the main ENSO thread and CC forum.

If we do see another stronger El Niño so soon after 2023-2024, then it may be another piece of the puzzle indicating that the PCC has shifted positive leading to the big spike in global temperatures since 2023. We probably need to get past the spring forecast barrier in order to know the details of how strong this one gets.

It’s possible that the faster rate of warming since 2023 is related to a shift in the newly discovered PCC near Nino 1.2. Notice the current Nino 1.2 temperatures have warmed in recent weeks. The last El Niño in 2023-2024 also experienced earlier warming than past events as the Nino 1+2 warming was early also.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52731-6?utm_campaign=related_content&utm_source=HEALTH&utm_medium=communities

Much recent work focused on whether equatorial Pacific cooling over past decades is driven by anthropogenic effects or arises from internally-generated climate variability, like the IPO. A definitive anthropogenic link to the recent trends would allow us to reliably predict a cooler tropical Pacific. As the tropical Pacific is known to be a climatic pacemaker, for (at least) the near-future this would mitigate global warming via ocean heat uptake and low-level cloud feedbacks. Instead, if the cyclic IPO dominates the recent cooling, we may expect a strong warming when it reverses. In support of the first possibility, we have identified an emerging climate change signal in the tropical Pacific across different observational datasets and we call it the PCC. The PCC has distinctive ocean-atmosphere dynamics that differ from those associated with the IPO. We further demonstrate that the recent trends during the satellite era, which have been the focus of significant attention, result from a combination of IPO and PCC. The emerging PCC SST trend pattern features a narrow band of cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific and warming elsewhere. 

Throughout this paper we have taken for granted the widespread assumption that the IPO is an internal mode of the climate system. However, while we worked to distinguish between the recurrent IPO-related decadal variability and the emerging PCC signal, we are open to the possibility that these two may have become coupled together by anthropogenic forcing. They have much in common: shoaling of the thermocline in the east, enhanced upwelling somewhere in the central-to-eastern equatorial Pacific and an enhanced zonal SST gradient across the equatorial Pacific. It seems reasonable to postulate that if the response to radiative forcing is the emerging PCC pattern seen here, then it could initiate coupled ocean-atmosphere feedbacks that favor a negative IPO state that also has an enhanced SST gradient²⁴. This might explain why the most recent IPO swing has been extreme and robust (Fig. S1b). If so, this suggests that in nature forcing is projecting onto natural modes of variability, while it is not clear whether climate models can reproduce this behavior. A new perspective on how internal variability interacts with the climate change signal will be needed in future studies

[Brian5671]

models showing 1.5-2 inches of rain today-nice drought denter and alot of the snowpack will go...

[Santa Claus]

been a long time since a day like this

[jm1220]

37 minutes ago, bluewave said:

With a little luck, the worst of the heat this summer stays to our West. But you can see the case for pieces of heat coming east from time to time.

Developing El Niño summers after La Niña winters have sometimes featured the strongest heat out West. Looks like a bit of a continuation of the winter pattern with the strongest Euro heat signal out West like we saw with the record warmth there this winter.

The spring forecast also suggests an active backdoor potential with the Northeast being the coolest relative to other areas 
 

 

 

Yep. The minute I start seeing the low heights over the Maritimes in the spring, I know what that means here. Hoping somehow we can keep ridging and westerly flow. 

[WeatherGeek2025]

[wthrmn654]

Man its been cold the past few days.  Other then 1 day of 46 it was 33-35 past could days. Currently 35

[jm1220]

6 minutes ago, wthrmn654 said:

Man its been cold the past few days.  Other then 1 day of 46 it was 33-35 past could days. Currently 35

Yep we need the rain but these 33-35 deals and rain are the worst. SWFEs in general are the worst. I don’t care we get the one out of 10 to work out here, I’ll never root for them at our latitude, ever. 

[SACRUS]

48 minutes ago, Santa Claus said:

been a long time since a day like this

Feb 20th for >.40 of rain and Dec 19th for >.100 of rain.  

[SACRUS]

42 / 41 batch of rain moving through with 0.39 in the bucket.  Warm/wet or cloudy through Saturday and then lets hope we can get into some sun Sunday later in the morning or day.  Nicest and warmest days Mon - Tue with Wed (11th) - 60s - 70s perhaps a stray 80 into the warmest spots in CNJ/ NJ -  the caveat being arrival of front with clouds.   Cooler by the 13th and likely through the 19th before moderation.

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 75 (1976)
NYC: 72 (1880)
LGA: 72 (1976)
JFK: 66 (1985)


Lows: 

 

EWR: 9 (1948)
NYC: 3 (1872)
LGA: 9 (1948)
JFK: 14 (1978)


Historical:

1821: President James Monroe's inauguration was only the 2nd to be held outdoors. The weather did not cooperate, as a mix of rain and snow fell with temperatures in the upper 20’s. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1872: The minimum temperature for the date is 6 °F in Washington, DC. This is the latest in season the temperature has fallen below ten degrees F.(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)
It was the most severe modern March cold wave in the East. Boston, MA had a low of -8° on the 6th, the coldest in March since 1833.(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
 

1894: The low temperature of 36 degrees in San Diego, California, on this day was their lowest on record for March.

 

1959: In Iowa, the record-breaking snowstorm on March 4-6 began with light snow in western Iowa on the morning of the 4th, then spread across the state and intensified with heavy snow falling from the night of the 4th through the 5th and into the early morning on the 6th in eastern Iowa. The snowfall and its subsequent effects were less severe in western Iowa and grew progressively worse, moving eastward. In central Iowa, snowfall amounts were generally 6 to 10 inches. In contrast, in eastern Iowa, a swath of about 12 to 20 inches of snow fell roughly from Appanoose County through Tama County and northeast to Allamakee County. Reported storm total snowfall amounts included 12.9 inches at Waterloo, 14.5 inches at Decorah, 16.0 inches at Oelwein, 17.0 inches at Oskaloosa, 17.6 inches at Dubuque, 19.8 inches at Marshalltown, where 17.8 inches fell in just 24 hours, and 22.0 inches at Fayette where 21.0 inches fell in 24 hours. Winds strengthened steadily during the storm, with speeds reaching 30 to 50 mph at times and causing extensive blowing and drifting of snow. Drifts 6 to 10 feet deep were common, and in northeastern Iowa, a few locations reported drifts 15 to 20 feet deep.
 

1959: Near blizzard conditions occurred over northern and central Oklahoma. Up to seven inches of snow fell and winds up to 50 mph created snow drifts 4 to 8 feet deep. In Edmond, a bus slid off the road into a ditch and overturned, injuring 16 people. The image below is from Storm Data.
 

1960 - Eastern Massachusetts greatest March snowstorm of record began to abate. The storm produced record 24 hour snowfall totals of 27.2 inches at Blue Hill Observatory, 17.7 inches at Worcester, and 16.6 inches at Boston. Winds gusted to 70 mph. (3rd-5th) (The Weather Channel)

1962 - A tremendous storm raged along the Atlantic coast. The great Atlantic storm caused more than 200 million dollars property damage from Florida to New England. Winds along the Middle Atlantic Coast reached 70 mph raising forty foot waves, and as much as 33 inches of snow blanketed the mountains of Virginia. The Virginia shoreline was rearranged by historic tidal flooding caused by the combination of the long stretch of strong onshore winds and the Spring Tides. (David Ludlum)

 

1966: A plane crashes near Mount Fuji in Japan after severe turbulence. Aviation-safety.net said the probable cause was, "The aircraft suddenly encountered abnormally severe turbulence over Gotemba City, which imposed a gust load considerably over the design limit." All 124 people on board were killed in the crash.

 

1972: Palm Springs, California, recorded a high of 100 degrees, the earliest the city has ever hit the century mark. 

1987 - A storm in the western U.S. produced heavy rain and high winds in California. Up to six inches of rain soaked the San Francisco Bay area in 24 hours, and winds gusted to 100 mph at the Wheeler Ridge Pumping Plant near the Tehachapi Mountains. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - While snow blanketed eastern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, eight cities in North Dakota reported new record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 61 degrees at Bismarck ND was 27 degrees warmer than that at Chanute KS. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the southeastern U.S. A strong (F-2) tornado killed one person and injured six others in Heard County GA. A strong (F-3) tornado injured 23 persons and caused more than five million dollars damage around Grantville GA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

 

1989: A F2 tornado killed one person and injured six others in Heard County, Georgia. A stronger F3 tornado injured 23 persons and caused more than $5 million in damage around Grantville, Georgia.

1990 - Thunderstorms over eastern Colorado, developing ahead of a major storm system, produced up to three inches of small hail around Colorado Springs in the late morning and early afternoon. Strong thunderstorms swept through southeastern sections of the Denver area during the evening hours. These strong thunderstorms also produced up to three inches of small hail, along with wind gusts to 50 mph, and as much as 2.4 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

 

1994: Snowiest winter ever at Elkins, WV 124 inches, Erie, PA 125 inches, also Boston, Binghamton, Hartford and Worcester until record broken again in 1996. (Bob Ryan's 2000 Almanac)

 

1998: A thunderstorm dropped dime to golfball size hail along its track from McLain to Leakesville, Mississippi. The most severe damage was around the city of Leakesville. Hail depth was six to twelve inches throughout the city. The elementary school in Leakesville reported hail drifts to the bottom of the school's windows.

2000: A major wildfire near Miami, FL threatened homes as southern Florida continued in its worst drought in 200 years. Rainfall amounts were as much 5 feet below normal over the preceding 3 years. The Florida Aquifer, which supplies most of the potable water, was reportedly at its lowest level in history as intense development combined with the drought reduced water levels.
Minneapolis, MNestablished a new record for the fewest number of days between 70° temperature readings; from the last date in the autumn to the first date in the spring. This season only 113 days passed, the previous record was 131 days, the average, 175 days.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001: The snowstorm that missed the Washington, DC area and much of NJ/NYC gave this station only 1.5 inches of snow. Little snow here but 20 to 40 inches fell in New England. (Bob Ryan's 2002 Almanac)