When March is Colder Than December

 

Typically, the month of December is five degrees colder than March, but about every five years (based on records since 1960) March is colder.  2014 was one of these years, as March, the coldest in 30 years, was three degrees colder than December.  Of the 34 years (since 1869) in which March was colder than December, the most extreme was in 2015 when it was 12.7 degrees colder (that December was the mildest on record).  Here are some other tidbits ...

 

• Of the years in which March has been colder than December, both months had below average temperatures in five of them.  The last time this happened was in 1916.  And in 1982 and 2006, despite March being colder than December, both months were milder than average.

• The most consecutive years in which December was colder than March is fourteen, from 1942 thru 1955.  However, there have never been more than two consecutive years in which March was colder than December.  (UPDATE: This is no longer the case as March 2015 was also colder than the December preceding it.)  Finally, in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, March was colder than December in half of the years. 

• Interestingly, one of the coldest Marches on record, in 1960, wasn't colder than that year's December, which was also much below average.

 

LAST 10 YEARS WHEN MARCH
WAS COLDER THAN DECEMBER
	Mean Temp		Difference
	March	Dec.	March v Dec.
Average*	42.5	37.5	5.0
2015	38.1	50.8	-12.7
2014	37.7	40.5	-2.8
2011	42.3	43.3	-1.0
2006	43.1	43.6	-0.5
2001	39.6	44.1	-4.5
1996	38.9	41.3	-2.4
1994	40.7	42.2	-1.5
1984	36.7	43.8	-7.1
1982	42.0	42.8	-0.8
1971	40.1	40.8	-0.7
*1980-2010
GREATEST TEMP DIFFERENCE
(MARCH V DECEMBER)
	Mean Temp		Difference
	March	Dec.	March v Dec.
2015	38.1	50.8	-12.7
1984	36.7	43.8	-7.1
1891	35.8	42.3	-6.5
1923	36.8	42.0	-5.2
1885	30.6	35.7	-5.1
1911	34.7	39.4	-4.7
1888	30.0	34.7	-4.7
2001	39.6	44.1	-4.5