Record Warm March Raising Alarms Ahead of Summer

The continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records for March, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Last month was the hottest March on record for the U.S., and the amount it was above normal, 9.35 degrees F, beat any other month in history for the Lower 48 states. The average March temperature for the continental U.S. is 50.85 degrees F.

Last month’s average maximum temperature was especially high at 11.4 F above the 20th century average temperature. This February, which was 6.57 F above 20th century normal, was the tenth highest above normal.

January through March also was the driest period on record for the continental U.S., AP reported. A record warm March melted an already abysmal snowpack across the West, and CNN reported the impacts clearly visible in satellite imagery. The decreased snowpack is raising alarms ahead of summer in a region that relies heavily on mountain snow for its water supply.

Snowpack in the western US typically reaches its peak by late March or early April, but it is currently at record lows, which means a host of potential impacts, including greater wildfire risk and reduced water availability in river basins, meteorologists told CNN. As of mid-March, moderate to exceptional drought conditions exist across 55% of the continental U.S., according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Spring Outlook for April through June.

Drought conditions are forecast to worsen or develop for many areas in the West and south-central Plains. Forecasters from NOAA’s National Weather Service also predict above-normal temperatures for most of the U.S.

By the end of the year, the U.S. is forecasted to transition to a strong super El Niño pattern, The Weather Channel reported. Most of the U.S. will see a warmer winter. The jet stream during the winter months is strongest over the southern U.S., often roasting the Northern Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. This can reduce the amount of snowfall that the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies can see.

On the other hand, from the Southwest to the Southeast, an amplified storm track and active jet stream often reduce winter temperatures while bringing heavier rain from California to Florida and an increase in severe weather for the Southeast.