Today in New York Weather History: March 31
In the years since 1980 (thru 2019) the average date for the last temperature of freezing or colder in Central Park is March 31. It has occurred as early as March 1 (in 2020) and as late as April 17 (in 1980).
1937
The low today and the previous three days: 31°-30°-29°-28° (3/28) - all well below average (37°).
1964
The coldest reading of the month occurred this morning, 22°, and this temperature held steady for four hours. Normal low for the date is in the upper 30s. Today's high/low of 38°/22° was half of what it was six days earlier (75°/46°).
1980
March went out like a lion as a nor'easter brought winds that gusted close to 40 mph and produced 2.02" of rain (most of it falling from late morning onward). Afternoon temperatures were only in the 30s. Today's rainfall made March 1980 the wettest March on record (with 10.41" measured), pushing it past March 1953 and 1876. (It's since fallen to third, behind 2010 and 1983).
1987
March ended as it began, with a big rainmaker (2.36" fell on 3/1). Beginning last night, rain continued thru early afternoon today, amounting to 2.00". But in the days between these two storms just 0.57" of rain fell.
1989
Today's high of 44° (11 below average) came just three days after a high of 82°.
1997
A nor'easter with 30-45 mph wind gusts dumped 2.32" of rain in New York and record amounts of snow in New England on 4/1 (25" in Boston, 18" in Providence). A few days earlier New York had been warned of the potential for significant snow accumulation as well, but too much mild air moved in for this to happen.
1998
Today's high temperature hit 86°, tying March 29, 1945 for the warmest reading ever recorded in March. This was the last day of a five-day spring "heat wave". During this warm spell the average high/low was 82°/61°, twenty-six degrees above average. The next 80-degree day wouldn't be for another six-and-a-half weeks - and it was the last time until 2021 that a temperature in the 80s was reported in the month of March. Today also happened to be the home opener for the New York Mets (which they won in 11 innings over Philadelphia).
2003
Five years later the Mets weren't as fortunate playing their home opener on March 31. Although the game was played under clear skies, the temperature hovered around 40° and a biting wind created a "feels like" temperature of 30°. No surprise, this was the coldest Opening Day in the 1970-2020 period. To make matters even worse, the Mets were pounded by the Cubs by a score of 15-2.
2011
This was the earliest date for a Yankees home opener (until 2019) and it was played in raw and damp conditions. The high was only 43°, twelve degrees colder than average. After morning showers, no rain fell during the game but showers resumed in the evening.
2012
Because today was cold (high/low of 43°/38°) and rainy, two March records were NOT set. The month's mean temperature ended up 0.2 degree cooler than the mildest March on record (in 1945), while the morning's rainfall of 0.26" brought the month's total precipitation to 0.96", preserving March 2006's distinction as the driest March on record (0.80"). Still, this was the twelfth month in a row with above average temperatures, matching a 12-month streak in 1998-99. Furthermore, this was the driest Jan-Feb-March since 1985.
2016
The fourth mildest March on record came to a fitting end as the temperature this afternoon rose into the low 70s. This was the fifth day this month in the 70s (and seven days had highs in the 60s). Besides being mild, it was also the sixth driest March, with just 1.17" measured - the driest month in two-and-a-half years - since just 0.39" was measured in October 2013.
2017
It was a topsy-turvy March, which came in like a lamb (70° on 3/1) and went out like a lion as today featured an all-day rain (1.51", which came down especially hard after 6 PM) and temperatures that were well below average (high/low of 43°/37°).
2018 - with a low of 39° (the high was 58°), this was the twenty-eighth day this month with a reading that was colder than 40°, the most in March since 2001, and the last time March had more lows this cold was in 1958 when there were twenty-nine.
Posted by: William | 12/14/2018 at 08:51 AM
the last time any three consecutive months were drier than Jan-Feb-Mar of 2012, was in the winter of 2002 (Dec-Jan-Feb), when a combined total of 4.88” of rain fell during these three months. by the way, Jan-Feb-Mar of 2009 had just 0.10” more than Jan-Feb-Mar of 2012 (5.66” vs 5.56”).
Posted by: William | 07/01/2020 at 02:56 PM
the final twelve days of March 2021 all had warmer than normal average mean temps. when was the last time the month of March ended with at least twelve days of warmer than normal average mean temps?
Posted by: William | 03/30/2021 at 08:40 AM