Maps and Graphics:


March Most Recent 3 Months Most Recent 6 Months
Most Recent 12 Months Year-to-Date US Percent Area Very Wet/Dry/Warm/Cold
Annual Summary for 2006

PLEASE NOTE: All temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Once available, graphics based on final data will be provided on the Climate Monitoring Products page.


For graphics covering periods other than those mentioned above or 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.

National Overview:


March
  • For the contiguous United States, March 2007 was the second warmest such month on record (based on preliminary data), 5.6°F (3.1°C) warmer than the 20th century mean of 42.5°F (5.8°C). Only March 1910 was warmer in the 113-year national record.

  • Statewide temperatures were much warmer than average from parts of the Midwest and Deep South to the Northern Plains and West Coast. Most states of the Northeast and Florida were near average, and no state was cooler than average for the month. The month tied for the warmest on record for Oklahoma.

  • More than 2500 daily record high temperatures were set from the East to the West Coast during the month. On the 13th of March alone more than 250 daily high temperature records were set. The earliest high of 90°F (32°C) occurred in Las Vegas that day and the daily record was broken by 6°F (3.3°C). For the month as a whole more than 200 daily record highs of 90°F or greater occurred in California, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and areas of the Southeast.

  • The warmer-than-average March temperatures outside the Northeast helped reduce residential energy needs for the nation. Using the Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI - an index developed at NOAA to relate energy usage to climate), the nation's residential energy demand was approximately 11 percent lower than what would have occurred under average climate conditions for the month.

  • The persistent weather pattern that brought record and near-record warmth to the contiguous U.S. helped Alaska to its third coldest March on record. For the state as a whole, March was 12.5°F (6.9°C) cooler than average and 40 new daily low temperatures were tied or broken.

  • March precipitation was above average from parts of the Northeast to the Upper Midwest and from the northern Plains to Texas and New Mexico. Much needed rain helped end drought in large parts of Texas, and for the state as a whole it was the wettest March on record.

  • But across the Deep South and Southeast, drier than average conditions prevailed for a second straight month. Six states were much drier than average from Louisiana and Arkansas to Florida. It was the second driest March on record for Mississippi and the third driest for Alabama.

  • The persistently drier-than-average conditions contributed to worsening drought conditions in the Deep South. At the end of March severe drought stretched from southeastern Mississippi to northwest Georgia and Tennessee and also affected southern Florida.

  • March was also another month of below average rain and snowfall in the West. The combination of unusual warmth and below average snowfall during much of the month led to a continued deterioration of mountain snowpack conditions in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.

  • Precipitation in southern California was also much below average. In Los Angeles, the lack of rainfall during the usually rainy winter season led to the driest water-year to date for the city since records began in 1877. From July 1, 2006 through the end of March downtown Los Angeles had received only 2.47 inches of rain, almost one foot below the normal amount of rainfall for the period.

For information on local temperature and precipitation records during the month of March, please visit NCDC's Extremes page.

  • Across the United States, extreme drought conditions were observed in areas of California, Wyoming and Nebraska, as well as northern Minnesota, southeastern Montana, parts of Texas and northern Alabama. For more information on drought during March, please visit the U.S. Drought page.

  • El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are in a ENSO-neutral state. Sea-surface temperatures (SST) anomalies continued to cool to near- or below-average average across the equatorial Pacific in March. Current forecasts indicate that a transition from ENSO-neutral conditions to La Niña could occur over the next 3 months. For additional information on ENSO conditions, please visit the NCDC ENSO Monitoring page and the latest NOAA ENSO Advisory.
For additional details, see the Monthly and Seasonal Highlights section below and visit the March Climate Summary page. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe please visit NCDC's Global Hazards page.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights:


Contiguous U.S.:

For additional national, regional, and statewide data and graphics from 1895-present, for March, the last 3 months or other periods, please visit the Climate At A Glance page.
  • March Temperature: 2nd warmest March in the 1895-2007 record.  The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 48.11°F (8.95°C), which was 5.58°F (3.10°C) above the 1901-2000 (20th century) mean.

  • March Precipitation: 35th driest nationally in the 1895-2007 record. An average of 2.17 inches (55 mm) fell over the contiguous U.S. in March, 0.23 inches (6 mm) below the 20th century mean for the month.

  • January - March Temperature (3-Month): 30th warmest in the 1895-to-present record, 1.42°F (0.79°C) above the 20th century mean. The preliminary nationally averaged January - March temperature was 37.45°F (3.03°C).

  • January - March Precipitation (3-month): A total of 5.87 inches (149 mm) of precipitation fell during this 3-month period, which corresponds to a ranking of 24th driest.

  • October - March (6-month): The national average temperature was the 18th warmest for this 6-month period. The nationally-averaged temperature was 41.11°F (5.06°C), which was 1.31°F (0.73°C) above the 20th century mean. At 13.58 inches (345 mm), October - March precipitation was above average and ranked as the 42nd wettest such period in the 1895-2007 record.

  • January to March (Year-to-date): The 30th warmest January - March on record. The nationally averaged year-to-date temperature was 37.45°F (3.03°C), or 1.42°F (0.79°C) above the mean. The year-to-date period was the 24th driest January - March in the 113-year record, receiving a national average of 5.87 inches (149 mm) of precipitation during the period, or 0.47 inches (12 mm) above the 20th century mean.

  • April 2006 - March 2007: The 6th warmest such period in the 1895-2007 record.  The preliminary nationally-averaged annual temperature was 54.34°F (12.41°C), which was 1.54°F (0.86°C) above the mean. Precipitation was near the mean for the April 2006 - March 2007 period, ranking it as the 52nd driest April - March in the 112-year record.  The nationally-averaged annual precipitation accumulation was 29.08 inches (739 mm), or 0.06 inches (2 mm) below the 20th century mean.

Alaska:
  • March Temperature: 3rd coldest on record (1918-2007) for March with temperatures 12.5°F (6.9°C) below the 1971-2000 mean.

  • January-March Temperature: 25th coolest on record (1918-2007) for the 3-month period (January - March) with temperatures 3.4°F (1.8°C) below the 1971-2000 mean.

Other Statewide and Regional Highlights:
  • March temperatures for Oklahoma tied for 1st warmest. 21 states, including Kansas , had much above normal temperatures. Precipitation across Texas was 1st wettest on record. South Dakota, was 5th wettest, while Mississippi and Alabama were the 2nd and 3rd driest on record, respectively.

  • January - March temperatures across Vermont and New Hampshire ranked 38th coldest on record. Montana ranked 17th warmest. Alabama ranked 1st driest for the January - March period, while Texas ranked 3rd wettest.

  • The East North Central, West North Central and South regions, had above average precipitation for the January - March period.

  • Temperatures over the past 6-months (October - March) were above average in the all regions except the South and Southwest, which were near normal. Precipitation for the period was 6th driest in the West .

  • October - March temperatures were much above average for two states, New Jersey and Delaware. 28 states had above average or much above average precipitation, including Indiana and New York . California experienced its 6th driest such period on record.

  • During the Year-to-Date period (January - March), temperatures were near average to above average in all states except Vermont and New Hampshire. Alabama ranked 1st driest for the period, Texas ranked 3rd wettest for January - March.

  • January - March precipitation across the Southeast and West regions was much below average.

  • April 2006 - March 2007 was warmer or much-warmer-than-average for the lower 48 states except for West Virginia. Indiana was record wettest for the period.

See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of March.

PLEASE NOTE: All of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate Monitoring Products page.

Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly National Climate Report for March 2007, published online April 2007, retrieved on April 23, 2024 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/200703.