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. 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 March's 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 |
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