Past IEM Features tagged: mar
Windy in March when warm
30 Mar 2021 05:35 AMTemperatures warmed very nicely on Monday, but winds were howling as well making for dangerous fire weather conditions in the state. Having really warm temperatures and windy conditions generally go hand-in-hand during March for Iowa. The featured chart presents the frequency of having at least a 10 knot (~12 MPH) wind speed at a given air temperature during March for Des Moines. March is a windy month to start with, but there's a clear signal that increasing temperatures are increasing associated with breezy conditions. The reason for this relationship is found above our heads with faster wind speeds found aloft and warmer temperatures generally indicating a well mixed lower atmosphere and/or strong transport of warmer air from our south. Rewording, it is difficult for us to achieve such warm temperatures in March without the help of warmer air aloft mixing down and/or strong transport of warmer air from our south.
Voting:
Good: 9
Bad: 1
Tags: mar
March was cool and wet
01 Apr 2019 05:34 AMThe featured chart displays the combination of growing degree day departures along with precipitation departures for March expressed in terms of standard deviation (sigma) for Iowa statewide averaged data. This year was on the cool and wet side of average, but nothing too extreme for either metric. Since the growing degree days are always zero or small positive number in March, the lower bound for a departure is tight. On the other hand, the upper bound is large and you may recall the epic warmth of 2012 which noticeably sticks out on this plot.
Voting:
Good: 9
Bad: 1
Tags: mar
March Temps + Wind
02 Mar 2018 05:33 AMMarch started off mild for much of Iowa On Thursday. The mild afternoon temperatures were accompanied by brisk winds. The featured chart looks at the frequency of having 10+ knot wind speeds by a given air temperature for March for Cedar Rapids. The plot would indicate that as the temperature warms, wind speeds are more commonly stronger. These stronger wind speeds can help warm our near surface air temperatures by mixing down warmer air from above, or transporting warmer air from our south into the state, or sometimes we experience chinook style winds from the High Plains with descending air from the Rocky Mountains warming.
Voting:
Good: 7
Bad: 0
Tags: mar
March Changes
23 Mar 2017 05:36 AMFor Ames, this March we had one stretch of five days with the high temperature only maxing out at 31 degrees. Has this cold of a period become more of less common? The featured chart attempts to answer that question by looking at the distribution of max five day high temperatures comparing the 30 year period before 1987 to the same number of years afterwards. The answer to the question comes with the split violin charts on the left hand side. The later year period shows a shift upward in distribution and a remarkable vacating of the lowest temperature frequencies. The meaning being that the periods of very cold temperatures are less frequent than they have been.
Voting:
Good: 10
Bad: 0
Tags: mar
March Dew Points
07 Mar 2017 05:34 AMOur eventful weather pattern continued on Monday with very warm and moist air for early March fueling thunderstorms that brought damaging winds, hail, and a few brief tornadoes to the state. The featured chart presents average dew points for March partitioned by wind direction. Our winds were out of the S and SSW, which is the favored direction for the highest dew points. Actual readings were well into the 50s, which is plenty higher than climatology shown by the featured chart.
Voting:
Good: 8
Bad: 0
Abstain: 1
Tags: mar
April vs March
29 Mar 2016 05:36 AMMarch is rapidly coming to a close and will go down as one of the warmer ones on record for Iowa. Does a warm March predict a warm April as well? The featured chart compares the average temperature for March with the following April's average temperature. The trend line is only slightly positive and the data is spread over all quadrants rather equally. The last few days of March look to go out warm before slightly cooler weather is expected to start off April.
Voting:
Good: 10
Bad: 0
Tags: mar apr
Dry March
31 Mar 2015 05:43 AMThe last day of March is at hand and it would appear to be another dry and warm day. The featured chart presents Iowa areal averaged precipitation totals for each March since 1893. Based on preliminary data, this March comes in as one of the driest on record and continues the recent trend of below average totals. Recent Aprils have made up for dry Marches and the forecast has some heavy rainfall arriving Wednesday evening.
Voting:
Good: 17
Bad: 9
Abstain: 7
Tags: mar
March Min Date
09 Mar 2015 05:40 AMSo far this month, the 5th of March was the coldest for Ames for minimum High and Low Temperature. The featured chart presents the frequency of which day of March was the coldest for each year back to 1893. The coldest day does not necessarily always happen to start off the month. Our current weather and forecast provides some optimism that the coldest weather of the season is behind us, but there is still plenty of time for more cold and snow!
Voting:
Good: 14
Bad: 9
Abstain: 5
Tags: mar
Very cold for March
04 Mar 2014 05:38 AMOur most recent bout with very cold winter air this season was rather exceptional considering that the calendar is now in March! The featured image shows hourly temperature reports from the Des Moines Airport for Sunday and early Monday along with the last observation that cold for that hour in March. Sunday afternoon was particularly cold as one would have to go back 50-65 years to experience similar temperatures. The good news is that warmer weather is in the forecast and we can only go up from here!
Voting:
Good: 31
Bad: 4
Abstain: 5
Tags: mar
Barely warmer than March
23 Apr 2012 05:51 AMThe featured chart compares the average Ames temperature for March with the following April for each year since 1893. For Ames, each April has been warmer than its preceding March. After our record setting March this year, there may have been some doubt if April would be warmer as well. The forecast has temperatures warming back up this week, but cooler weather expected again next weekend.
Voting:
Good: 40
Bad: 6
Tags: mar apr
Humid March
03 Apr 2012 05:53 AMWhile this past March was easily the warmest on record, it was not the most humid on record as shown by the featured chart. The top chart presents the average near surface mixing ratio which is the ratio of water to dry air. By this metric, 2012 comes in a close second place to 1998. The bottom chart is the simple maximum reported dew point value for the month. In this case, 2012 ties 1990 at 63 degrees. The near term forecast has us back closer to reality with highs in the 60s and upper 50s.
Voting:
Good: 22
Bad: 6
Tags: mar12 mar
Setting Records in March
21 Mar 2012 05:48 AMNumerous places over the eastern half of the country set records again on Tuesday as the epic warmth of March rolls on. The temperature was cool enough to not set another record high temperature for Des Moines and so ending the streak of six straight days with a record high. The featured chart attempts to show the daily record high temperatures for Des Moines and the year during which they were sequentially set. Of course, the first year on record shows up for each date with later years slowly building over top them. The records for this year are shown in bright red. The numerous warm days in the year 1910 show up prominently, which may be the only competition for this year to be the warmest March on record. The numeric value shown on the top of each bar indicates the number of times the daily record has been set. Kind of interesting to note the most frequent days with records set having occurred in the recent period as well, which was probably helped by an initially cold period for the first year on record.
Voting:
Good: 27
Bad: 11
Tags: mar12 mar
Warmer March in store?
15 Feb 2011 05:55 AMThe past few days of much warmer weather has helped to eliminate much of the snow that has stuck around for most of winter. The featured chart looks at the relationship between having snow on the ground of a given day in February and then the average temperature that following March. The implication is clear, getting rid of the snow now leads to a few more degrees warmer weather in March. The chart also shows that the coldest, on average, March temperatures are when there is snow at the end of February and the warmest are when there is no snow at the beginning of the month.
Voting:
Good: 13
Bad: 6
Tags: snowcover feb mar