State of the Climate
National Overview
March 2004

• Temperatures were much above average for the nation as a whole with no state averaging cooler than the long-term (1895-2003) mean.
  
  
• The precipitation signal was mixed across the country with drier than average conditions along the eastern seaboard and far West while wetter than average conditions prevailed across much of the Midwest stretching into the southern Plains and parts of the Southwest.
  
  
• Some late season snow fell across portions of the Northeast in March. Areas from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts received 6-10 inches of snow. Details of the 2003/2004 snow season can be found on NCDC's monthly snow summary page.
  
  
• Indices used to determine the state of ENSO suggest that the Equatorial Pacific was in a neutral ENSO phase and Sea Surface Temperatures were near normal across the equatorial Pacific during March. To see the latest NOAA advisory and typical impacts of a La Nina or El Nino episode for the U.S., go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
  
  For additional details, see the Monthly Highlights section. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe go to NCDC's Global Hazards page.

National:

• March 2004 ranked as the 3rd warmest March in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 47.7°F (8.7°C), which was 5.2°F (2.9°C) above the long-term mean.
• March 2004 was drier than average for precipitation nationally, ranking 15th driest.
  
  For tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895-present, for March, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page
  
  
• January-March temperature was also above average and ranked as the 28th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for January-March was 37.6°F (3.1°C) which was 1.6°F (0.9°C) above the long-term mean.
• January-March was drier than average for precipitation, ranking 37th driest in the last 110 years.
  
  
• April 2003-March 2004 ranked as the 8th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 54.0°F (12.2°C) which was 1.2°F (0.7°C) above the long-term mean.
• Precipitation was near average for April-March leading to a rank of 41st wettest for the last 12 months based on a record of 109 such periods.
  
  Regional and Statewide:
  
  
• March 2004 temperatures ranked much above average for 17 states and warmer than average for all other contiguous states except Florida.
• Alaska temperatures were below average for March with an anomaly of -1.8°F (-1.0°C)
• March was much drier than average for ten states, including South Carolina and Georgia which had their driest March on record.
• The 3 month period, January-March, was warmer than average for most states west of the Mississippi, while the majority of eastern states were near average.
• January-March 2004 was dry for the east coast and parts of the West, with wetter than average conditions across much of the Great Plains.
• The last 12 months were much warmer than average for 11 western states. Only two eastern states averaged significantly cooler than the long-term mean.
• The last 12 months were record wet for three Mid Atlantic states. Dry conditions prevailed across parts of the West and Southwest.

  See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of March.
  
  An in-depth annual review of U.S. climate in 2003 is available at: ./?report=national&year=2003&month=ann