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Use these links to access detailed analyses of Global and U.S. data.
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March 2002 temperatures were below normal for much of the contiguous US. Much below average temperatures were evident in Montana, where a time series shows that Montana had the 5th coldest March on record following 5 Marchs of above average or near-average temperatures. |
| The graph to the right shows a temperature time series for Alaska. In March, temperatures averaged across the state were above the long-term mean for the third year in a row. Only 6 of the last 25 Marchs have been below the mean. |
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March temperatures in the West North Central region were below the long term mean (7th coldest in the 1895-2002 record), contrasting with temperatures for March in each of the last 3 years. Ten of the last thirteen Marchs have been above the mean.
Temperature time series for all regions can be found in the table below. |
Precipitation Analysis
| Nationwide, March precipitation was slightly above average. Heavy precipitation occurred in late March in several south central states including Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and the western mountains of North Carolina. However, dryness extended throughout much of the contiguous U.S., most notably in the Southwest. |
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March 2002 was the first March in 4 years to receive above average rainfall in the 1895 to present record for the Central region.
Precipitation time series for all regions can be found in the table below. |
| The growing season runs from March through September for the Primary corn and soybean belt. Preliminary data indicate that precipitation was above average for the first month of the growing season. Precipitation for the previous 3 Marchs has been below average. |  |
Regional Temperature and Precipitation Time Series
View a temperature or precipitation time series for any region from the table below. Click on a region's precipitation or temperature rank to view the 1895-2002 March time series.
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Historical precipitation and temperature ranking maps are also available courtesy of the Climate Prediction Center.
Additional information about current climate anomalies can be found at the respective Web Pages of the Southern Regional Climate Center, Western Regional Climate Center, Midwest Regional Climate Center, Southeast Regional Climate Center, High Plains Regional Climate Center, and the Northeast Regional Climate Center. |
Other Notable Weather Events - March
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Based on preliminary data from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, 2002 had the 3rd slowest start to the tornado season with just 40 tornadoes. Only 1951 and 1969 had fewer tornadoes by March 31st. However, several tornadoes caused considerable damage in Texas on the 30th. West, east and central Texas experienced tornadic storms and dozens of homes were damaged, and people injured in several locations across the state. SNOW Early in March, snow, sleet and freezing rain led to treacherous road conditions and caused 21 deaths in a broad swath through the center of the country. On March 2, conditions in Texas north to Michigan contributed to more than 500 traffic accidents and 100 canceled flights. The one-day snowfall record was broken in Grand Rapids, MI and Milwaukee, WI with totals of 13.6 inches (34.5 cm) and 9.4 inches (23.9cm) respectively. Anchorage, Alaska received 28.6 inches (72.6 cm) of snow on March 16 and 17, 2002. This far surpasses the previous snowfall record for a storm, of 15.6 inches (39.6 cm) set on December 29, 1955. The snow was falling at a rate of 2 inches (5 cm) per hour for much of Saturday March 16, and schools were closed and flights canceled as a result of the storm. (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/) In the contiguous US, a winter storm brought snowfall to portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the 14th. Parts of Minnesota received up to 18 inches (45 cm) of snow and over 200 traffic accidents resulted from the poor driving conditions (AP). One pilot was killed when his plane crashed in Wisconsin after taking off from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and encountering icing conditions. Snow continued to fall through the end of March in Marquette, Michigan leading to a seasonal total of over 300 inches. This surpasses the old seasonal snowfall record by 28 inches. Warmer than normal water in the Great Lakes has enabled lake-effect snows to persist through late winter. RAIN/FLOODING As much as over 7 inches (mm) of rain (178 mm) fell in Tennessee and parts of Kentucky on March 16-18. It is reportedly the worst flooding in eastern Kentucky in 25 years and 7 deaths in Tennessee were blamed on the storm. COLD A blast of Arctic air moved into the northern Plains on March 20th leading to several record low temperatures in Montana. In some locations, records of 89 years' standing were broken, such as in Great Falls and Cutbank, MT. WILDFIRES A wildfire in Lincoln county New Mexico caused 28 houses to burn and hundreds of people to be evacuated around the weekend of March 23rd/24th. No injuries were reported, but damage is estimated to have totaled $5 million (AP). |
Questions?
For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:
Climate Services Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: questions@ncdc.noaa.gov
For further information on the historical climate perspective presented in this report, contact:
Catherine Godfrey
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Catherine.S.Godfrey@noaa.gov
Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov
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