WEATHER HISTORY FOR MARCH 11TH - 20TH
http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-wilmington/charlie-wilson
Charlie Wilson Wilmington Weather ExaminerSubscribeSponsor an Examiner A member of the American Meteorological Society,
Charlie Wilson has combined his knowledge of Meteorology & Weather History with his Education background in Communications.
(Ref. Charlie Wilson Weather History)
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March 11th:
1888
Rain began falling during the afternoon in New York City. By evening, it turned to freezing rain, coating the city in ice. Shortly after midnight on the 12th, it changed over to snow and the Blizzard of '88 began. Three feet of snow fell on southeast New York by the evening of the 13th with 50mph winds creating drifts to the second story of buildings in New York City. 21 inches accumulated in the city. Albany, NY received 47 inches of snow and Saratoga, NY 58 inches. At sea, the storm was referred to as the Great White Hurricane. 400 people died from the storm and the ensuing cold.
Heavy rain that began early in the day in Washington, D.C. and changed to snow during the afternoon and by midnight wind and heavy snow took down electric wires and blacked out the city. By the following morning, snow depths varied from a few inches in the city to over 10 inches to the north and west.
1911
Tamarack, CA reported 451 inches of snow on the ground, a record for the U.S.
1917
A tornado tore through New Castle, IN killing 22 people. 75 buildings were destroyed with an additional 275 damaged. A tornado at Cincinnati, OH killed three people.
1923
Deanburg and Pinson, TN were struck by an F5 tornado. 20 people were killed and ¼ of Pinson was obliterated.
1948
Bitterly cold temperatures occurred in the wake of a major blizzard in the Midwest. Readings of -25° at Oberlin, Healy and Quinter, KS set low temperature records for the state for March. Lows of -15° at Dodge City, -11° at Concordia, and -3° at Wichita were records for March at these locations. The low of -3° at Kansas City, MO was their latest subzero reading on record.
1959
A blizzard struck New York City with up to 20 inches of snow. Transportation was paralyzed.
1962
One of the most paralyzing snowstorms in decades produced record March snowfalls in Iowa. Four feet of snow covered the ground at Inwood following the storm.
1987
Unseasonably cold weather prevailed in the southeastern U.S., and a storm over the Gulf of Mexico spread rain, sleet and snow into the Appalachian Region. Sleet was reported in southern Mississippi.
1988
A blizzard raged across the north central U.S. Chadron, NE was buried under 33 inches of snow, up to 25 inches of snow was reported in eastern Wyoming, and totals in the Black Hills of South Dakota ranged up to 69 inches at Lead. Winds gusted to 63 mph at Mullen, NE. Snow drifts 30 feet high were reported around Lusk, WY.
On this date through the 15th, more than one hundred hours of continuous snow buried Marquette, MI under 43 inches of snow.
1989
Many cities in the central and southwestern U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 95°at Lubbock, TX equaled their record for March. Liberal, KS established their record high for the month of March with 93°.
1990
Many cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Record highs included 71° at Dickinson and Williston, ND, and 84° at Lynchburg, VA, Charleston, WV and Huntington, WV. Augusta, GA and Columbia, SC tied for honors as the hot spot in the nation with record highs of 88°.
A vigorous cold front produced up to three feet of snow in the mountains of Utah.
1992
A major winter storm with a central pressure of 978 millibars or 28.88 inHg struck the northeastern U.S. Heavy snow occurred over western Pennsylvania and New York with Bradford, PA recording 23 inches, Rochester, NY 21.9 inches, and Buffalo, NY with 15 inches. On the warm side of the storm in Vermont, heavy rains combined with snowmelt and ice breakup caused massive ice jams on the Winooski River in Montpelier, resulting in severe flooding. The downtown section was under five feet of water with millions of dollars of damage resulting.
1995
Heavy rains and mountain snows blasted southern California. Heavy rain produced 3.07 inches at Banning-Beaumont, 2.75 inches at Murrieta, 2.10 inches at Moreno Valley, 1.23 inches at Riverside and 0.84 inch at Palm Springs. 7.73 inches fell at Wrightwood in 48 hours. 3.06 inches of precipitation fell in Big Bear Lake, the greatest daily amount on record for March. A section of I-5 was washed out. Over 20 inches of snow fell at Bear Mountain Ski Resort.
2001
The town of Dubbo, New South Wales Australia, located northwest of Sydney received 1.06 inches of rain in just an hour.
2003
A massive avalanche closed the Trans-Canada Highway at Golden, British Columbia Canada as snow from a major influx of moist, tropical air produced unstable snow packs throughout the southeastern mountains.
2006
The record run for dry days finally ended at 143 at Phoenix, AZ. The last measured rain fell on 10/18/2005. The last time the region had significant precipitation was 8/2/2005 when 0.59 inch fell. Not only did the rain break the dry spell, the 1.40 inches was a record for the date. The previous consecutive dry-day mark was set in 1998-99 at 101 days.
A powerful winter storm which began the previous day continued in southern California. A supercell thunderstorm produced a waterspout off south Carlsbad. This storm continuedthrough northern San Diego County leaving one inch hail again in Escondido, and half inch hail accumulated to one inch deep from Carlsbad to Escondido. A tornado was later reported in north Ramona which downed trees and caused property damage. Storm total snowfall was 36 inches fell at Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead. 27 inches fell at Pine Cove and Idyllwild, 25 inches at Cuyamaca, 13 inches in Warner Springs, and 12 inches in Pine Valley. All the mountain highways were closed. Roof damage occurred in Guatay. One immigrant was killed and seven were injured near Pine Valley.
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March 12th:
1888
One of the most vicious blizzards ever to strike the nation was in progress, paralyzing southeastern New York State and western New England. When the storm finally ended on the 13th, Saratoga, NY was buried under 58 inches of new snow and 50 inches was recorded at Middletown, CT. New York City received 20.9 inches of snow and Albany, NY reported 46.7 inches. Snow drifted as high as 30 feet, to the second stories of many buildings. Winds of up to 70 mph accompanied the snow, creating blizzard conditions. The train system was paralyzed. The icy and wind swept Brooklyn Bridge was closed. Over 400 people were killed, 200 of them in New York City. Record cold followed the storm.
1923
The record low air pressure of 972 millibars or 28.70 inHg at Chicago, IL was set during a storm that produced heavy snow, a thick glaze of ice, gales, and much rain that caused $800,000 dollars damage.
1928
The St. Frances dam near Santa Paula, CA burst before midnight, killing 450 people as a flood tide of 138,000 acres of water rushed down the San Francisquito Canyon.
1934
Utah's largest earthquake occurred in the Hansel Valley north of Salt Lake City. Measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, the earthquake caused damage in Salt Lake City and Ogden. The Wasatch Fault in Utah is rated as the seventh most dangerous fault in the United States.
1935
On this date through the 25th,a series of suffocating dust storms blew across southeastern Colorado depositing up to six feet of dust. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were abandoned.
1954
On this date through the 13th, a blizzard raged from eastern Wyoming into the Black Hills of western South Dakota, while a severe ice storm was in progress from northeastern Nebraska to central Iowa. The ice storm isolated 153 towns in Iowa. Dust from the Great Plains caused brown snow, hail and muddy rain over parts of Wisconsin and Michigan.
1967
A tremendous four-day storm raged across California. Wind gusts of 90 mph closed mountain passes, heavy rains flooded the lowlands, and in 60 hours, Squaw Valley, CA was buried under 96 inches of snow.
1976
A large tornado outbreak spawned tornadoes in the Great Lakes and Midwest, including 9 in northern Indiana and extreme southern Michigan.
1986
The wind at Paris, TN jumped from calm to 76 mph in just one second. Several planes broke away from their tiedowns.
1987
Unseasonably cold weather prevailed in the southeastern U.S., with gale force winds along the Mid-Atlantic Coast.
A storm in the Pacific Northwest produced rain and gale force winds. Crescent City, CA received 2.27 inches of rain in 24 hours.
1988
A powerful storm produced high winds and heavy snow in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Upper Great Lakes Region. Winds gusting to 70 mph produced snow drifts six feet high in Minnesota, and sent 12 foot waves on Lake Superior over the break-walls of the ship canal at Duluth, MN.
A violent hail storm struck Kathmandu, Nepal, during a soccer game at the National Stadium. About 80 fans, seeking shelter from the storm, were trampled to death as the stadium doors were locked.
1989
An early season heat wave continued in the southwestern and central U.S. Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Wichita Falls, TX, which six days earlier reported a record low of 8°, reported a record high of 95°. Childress, TX was the first spot in the country in 1989 to hit the century mark.
A geomagnetic storm struck the Earth on this date. The province of Quebec Canada was plunged into darkness as power grids were overwhelmed by currents set up in power transmission lines. Phone systems and air traffic control systems went dark. Some places would be without power for a week.
1990
Unseasonably warm weather prevailed from the Southern and Central Plains to the Southern and Mid-Atlantic Coast, with afternoon highs in the 70s and 80s. Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Many of the records were topped by 15 degrees or more and some of the records broken had been set 100 years ago or more. Downtown Baltimore, MD was the hot spot in the nation with a record high of 95°, which smashed their previous record for the date by 19 degrees. Other record highs included, 86°at BWI/Marshall in Baltimore, MD, 89°at Washington, D.C. & Richmond, VA and 90°at Raleigh, NC. From the 11th through the 15th, 283 record high temperatures were set.
During this warm spell in the nation's capital, the famous cherry blossoms bloomed around March 15th, which was the earliest in history. After six days of record warmth, 1 to 6 inches of snow fell 12 days later across parts of the Mid-Atlantic.
1993
An incredible blizzard known as "The Superstorm” struck the eastern United States on this date through the 15th. The storm was described as the most costly non-tropical storm ever to strike the U.S. doing an estimated $6 billion dollars in damage. The storm was as strong as a hurricane in terms of winds and low pressure. The pressure dropped to an incredible 28.35 inHg or 960 millibars when then storm was located over the Chesapeake Bay. Boston, MA recorded a wind gust to 81 mph, the strongest wind they had recorded since Hurricane Edna in 1954. In addition, as the storm was intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico, a wind gust to 99 mph was recorded by an offshore oil rig. It dumped incredible amounts of snow from Alabama to New England. The snow amounts were significant everywhere, but for places like Birmingham, AL, the 17 inches recorded brought the city to a standstill for three days. Mount Leconte, NC recorded 60 inches of snow. Practically every weather station in West Virginia established a new 24 hour snowfall record during the event. Syracuse, NY was buried under 43 inches of snow. 270 people were killed during the storm and another 48 lost at sea. The storm also brought a 12 foot storm surge and 15 tornadoes to Florida, where 51 people were killed. Air travel was brought to a halt as every major airport from Atlanta north was closed during the height of the storm. During the late evening into the early morning hours of the 13th, a vicious squall line swept through Florida and spawned 11 tornadoes resulting in five fatalities. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 110 mph at Alligator Point and 109 mph at Dry Tortugas. Extremely high tides occurred along the western Florida coast. A 13 foot storm surge occurred in Taylor County, Florida, resulting in 10 deaths with 57 residences destroyed. A 5 to 8 foot storm surge moved ashore in Dixie County. Over 500 homes were destroyed with major damage to another 700 structures.
1995
The country of Bahrain had its wettest day on record. 2.67 inches of rain fell on a region whose annual average rainfall is only 3.1 inches. The total rainfall for March of 5.49 is Bahrain's wettest month since 1902.
1998
The barometer rose to 30.75 inHg at St. Louis, MO to establish their all-time highest barometric pressure. High pressure records for the month were also established in a number of other Midwest cities. The reading at the center of the high pressure cell was 31.12 inHg over South Dakota. The reading of -7° at Kansas City, MO is their latest sub-zero reading.
2003
Severe thunderstorms struck eastern India, resulting in 14 deaths and 200 injuries in the state of West Bengal. Strong winds and hail uprooted trees, flattened hundreds of homes, killed thousands of cattle and poultry and damaged crops in the West Bengal state.
2006
High school senior Matt Suter survived being blown 1,307 feet by a tornado at Fordland, MO. The twister ripped open his grandmother's mobile home and tossed Suter into the night, launching him over a barbed wire fence and eventually dropping him on the soft grass in an open field. He suffered only a head wound from being hit by a lamp.
Snow accumulating as much as 8 inches, closed Prague's Ruzyne Airport in the Czech Republic.
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March 13th:
1897
The coldest March reading at Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada occurred as the temperature dropped to -38°.
1907
A storm produced a record 5.22 inches of rain in 24 hours at Cincinnati, OH ending on this date.
1924
Heavy wet snow blanketed a large part of northern and central Alabama. The snow clung to everything and caused a lot of damage and major interruptions in communications. Final accumulations ranged from 6.5 inches in Birmingham to 1.4 inches at Montgomery.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1936
Serious flooding occurred at Wilkes-Barre, PA was caused by the melting of winter ice.
Palm Springs, CA dropped to 29°, tying with 3/4/1952 as their lowest temperature for March. It is also the latest sub-freezing temperature on record.
1951
The state of Iowa experienced a record snowstorm. The storm buried Iowa City under 27 inches of snow.
1953
An F4 tornado cut an 18 mile path through Haskell and Knox counties in Texas. 17 people were killed and an eight block area of Knox City was leveled.
1977
An intense downpour at Baltimore, MD accumulated an inch of rain in just 8 minutes.
1987
A winter storm produced heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada Range of California, and the Lake Tahoe area of Nevada. Mount Rose, NV received 18 inches of new snow.
1988
Unseasonably cold weather prevailed from the Plateau Region to the Appalachians. Chadron, NE, recently buried under 33 inches of snow, was the cold spot in the nation with a low of -19°.
1989
Unseasonably warm weather continued in the southwestern U.S. The record high of 88°at Tucson, AZ was their seventh in a row. In southwest Texas, the temperature at Sanderson soared from 46°at 8am to 90°at 11am.
Residents of the southern U.S. viewed an extremely rare display of the "Northern Lights".
1990
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northwest Texas to Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska during the day, and into the night. Severe thunderstorms spawned 59 tornadoes, including 26 strong or violent tornadoes, with about 200 reports of large hail or damaging winds. There were 48 tornadoes in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, and some of the tornadoes in those 3 states were the strongest on record for so early in the season, and for so far northwest in the United States.
The most powerful tornado of the day; an F5 storm that cut a 48 mile path from Preety Prairie to just northeast of Hesston, killing two people, injuring 60 others, and caused $22 million dollars damage. The tornado had a life span of two hours. A personal check was carried from Manhattan, KS some 115 miles to northeast of Blaine. Another tornado tracked 124 miles across southeastern Nebraska injuring eight people and causing more than $5 million dollars damage during its 3-hour life span. In York County, NE, 12 farms were hit and 10,000 geese were killed.
Meanwhile, record early season heat continued across the east with many record high temperatures set including Richmond, VA with 89°, 87° at Elizabeth City, NC, National Airport at Washington, D.C. and Dulles Airport, 86° at Wallops Island, VA which remains a March record, 85° at Baltimore, MD, Salisbury, MD, Atlantic City, NJ & Wilmington, DE and 84° at Philadelphia, PA. The record high of 84° at Bridgeport, CT is interesting because of their close proximity to the coast; but also from March 1 to March 28, this is the only day where the daily record high is above 70°.
1993
The “Superstorm” of '93" clobbered the eastern U.S. on this day and produced perhaps the largest swath of heavy snow ever recorded. Heavy snow and a blizzard conditions extended from the Gulf States to New England and from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast. The storm was so large that its effects were felt from Cuba, where high winds and rain damage the sugar crop, to Chicago where 250 flights at O'Hare International Airport were grounded due to snow squalls. Heavy snow was driven to the Gulf Coast with 3 inches falling at Mobile, AL and up to 5 inches reported in the Florida panhandle, the greatest single snowfall in the state's history. 13 inches blanketed Birmingham, AL to set not only a new 24 hour snowfall record for any month, but also set a record for maximum snow depth, maximum snow for a single storm, and maximum snow for a single month with as much as 17 inches reported for the entire storm. Tremendous snowfall amounts occurred in the Appalachians. Mount Leconte, TN recorded 60 inches. Mount Mitchell, NC was not far behind with 50 inches. Grantsville, MD recorded 47 inches and Snowshoe, WV had 44 inches. Practically every official weather station in West Virginia set a new 24 hour record snowfall. Further to the north, Pittsburgh, PA measured 25 inches, Albany, NY checked in with 27 inches, and Syracuse, NY was buried under 43 inches. The major population corridor from Washington, D.C. to Boston, MA was not spared this time as all the big cities got about a foot of snow before a changeover to rain. While 14 inches fell at Dulles Airport, only 6.6 inches of snow was reported at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. but the liquid equivalent was between two and three inches. A rather large amount of thunderstorm activity accompanied the heavy snow. Wind gusts to hurricane force were widespread. Boston, MA recorded a gust to 81 mph, the highest wind gust at the location since Hurricane Edna in 1954. Numerous cities in the south and Mid-Atlantic States recorded their lowest barometric pressure ever as the storm dropped to 960 millibars or 28.35 inHg over the Chesapeake Bay. Some low pressure readings included White Plains, NY at 961 millibars or 28.28 inHg, Philadelphia, PA & JFK in New York at 962 millibars or 28.43 inHg and Dover, DE at 963 millibars or 28.45 inHg. The storm originated as a cluster of thunderstorms over Texas on the morning of March 12th. During the late evening into the early morning hours of the 13th, a vicious squall line swept through Florida and spawned 11 tornadoes resulting in five fatalities. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 110 mph at Alligator Point and 109 mph at Dry Tortugas. Extremely high tides occurred along the western Florida coast. A 13 foot storm surge occurred in Taylor County, FL, resulting in 10 deaths with 57 residences destroyed. A 5 to 8 foot storm surge moved ashore in Dixie County. Over 500 homes were destroyed with major damage to another 700 structures. The highest recorded wind gust associated this storm occurred on Mt. Washington, NH clocked at 144 mph. Approximately 270 deaths were attributed to the storm; three times that of the death toll from hurricane Andrew and Hugo combined. According to the National Disaster Survey Report, 26 states were affected, impacting the lives of nearly 100 million people, approximately half the nation's population. Total damage was estimated at $6 billion dollars, the costliest extra-tropical storm in history. The Superstorm produced an unbelievable 50 billion tons of snow. If all the snow were melted it would produce enough runoff to equal the entire flow over Niagara Falls for 100 days.
1997
All time 24 record snowfalls occurred at Alpena MI with 19.3 inches and Marquette, MI with 28.0 inches. Snowfall at Alpena brought their seasonal amount to 176.1 inches, also a record.
1999
A big snowstorm dumped 19 inches of snow on Medford, OK.
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March 14th:
1870
The term "blizzard" was first applied to a storm which produced heavy snow and high winds in Minnesota and Iowa. The "new" word appeared in the "Easterville, Iowa Vindicator".
1927
The worst blizzard in decades hit Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada pushing drifts six feet high.
1933
A strong F3 tornado cut through the center of Nashville, TN. 1,400 homes were damaged or destroyed. Windows were blown out of the State Capitol Building. 11 people were killed and total damage was $1.5 million dollars.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1944
A single storm brought a record 21.6 inches of snow to Salt Lake City, UT.
1960
Northern Georgiawas between snowstorms. Gainesville, GA received 17 inches of snow during the month, and reported at least a trace of snow on the ground 22 days in March. Snow was on roofs in Hartwell, GA from the 2nd to the 29th.
1984
A coastal storm dumped very heavy snow over northern New England. Caribou, ME received 28.6 inches of snow in 24 hours, by far its greatest 24-hour snowfall on record. 36 inches of snow fell at Telos Lake, ME. Some sections of Vermont received 30 inches and up to 26 inches fell in portions of New Hampshire.
1985
Spokane, WA set the record for longest duration of snow cover at 107 straight days of at least 1 inch.
1987
A powerful storm in the western U.S. produced 15 inches of snow in the Lake Tahoe Basin of Nevada, and wind gusts to 50 mph at Las Vegas, NV. Thunderstorms in the Sacramento Valley of California spawned a tornado which hit a turkey farm near the town of Corning.
1988
Squalls in the Great Lakes Region continued to produce heavy snow in northwest Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, and produced up to 14 inches of snow in northeast Ohio. Poplar, WI reported 27 inches of snow in two days.
1989
High winds in Colorado and Wyoming gusted above 120 mph at Horsetooth Heights, CO. High winds in the Central Plains sharply reduced visibilities in blowing dust as far east as Kansas City, MO. Winds gusting to 72 mph at Hill City, KS reduced the visibility to a city block in blowing dust. Soil erosion in northwest Kansas damaged nearly five million acres of wheat.
1990
Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 70s and 80s from the Gulf coast to the Great Lakes Region. Charleston, WV was the hot spot in the nation with a record high of 89°. It was the fourth of five consecutive days with record warm temperatures for many cities in the eastern U.S. There were 283 daily record highs reported in the central and eastern U.S. during between the 11th and the 15th of March.
Meanwhile further west, 60 tornadoes occurred across the central and southern plains states. Ten of the tornadoes were in Oklahoma, along with widespread large hail and high winds. One tornado touched down near Bradley, then struck the Noble area, just south of Norman. The stadiums press box at Noble High School was destroyed, as was the scoreboard. Several light poles were also snapped. A second tornado overturned a five-ton crane near Ratliff City, in Carter County. Hail larger than golf balls fell on many locations across Oklahoma and northern Texas.
1993
The "Superstorm" was exiting the East Coast, leaving record low temperatures in its wake from Texas to Florida to the Great Lakes. Many cities had record low temperatures for the date including Birmingham, AL with 2°, shattering its previous March record low of 11°. Orlando, FL dropped to 33° to smash its old daily record low by nine degrees. It was also the coldest temperature ever recorded for so late in the season.
Grantsville, MD recorded a state record snowfall of 48 inches in less than 24 hours, beating the 44 inch record set only three months earlier during a December 1992 blizzard.
1997
Marquette, MI was buried under 28 inches of snow for its greatest 24-hour snowfall on record. Overall, 32.4 inches fell. Snow depth reached 63 inches, also a new record for the city. Rochester, MN measured 12.6 inches from the storm to push its seasonal snowfall total to 78.1 inches; its snowiest winter ever. Green Bay, WI recorded 17.5 inches and Wautoma, WI checked in with 28 inches.
1998
Choking sandstorms battered the Middle East, claiming four lives, leaving 29 people injured, and forcing the Suez Canal, airports and seaports to close.
1999
The fourth longest streak of sub-freezing days in the history of Fairbanks, AK came to an end at 139 days.
2002
A tropical depression dropped 8.93 inches of rain in 24 hours at Ouanaham, Lifou of the French Loyalty Islands in the south Pacific. Their average March rainfall is 6.50 inches.
2003
A severe thunderstorm hit Canberra, Australia during the evening dumping 1.49 inches of rain in just one hour. Their average March rainfall is 2.07 inches. March 2003 in Canberra was notable for the high frequency of thunderstorms: thunder was heard on nine days at the airport, the most March thunder days on record.
2007
Concord, New Hampshire's temperature soared to a record high of 74°. This occurred less than one week after a record low temperature of -7° on March 8; an 81 degree temperature swing in six days.
A rare winter storm drops as much as 4 inches of snow on parts of Jordan in the Middle East, closing roads, schools and businesses. Most banks and some government offices close in Amman within hours of opening.
2008
Tornadic winds rushed through downtown Atlanta, GA shortly before 10 pm damaging the Georgia Dome where the SEC men's basketball tournament was underway.
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March 15th:
1905
0.94 inches of rain fell in just 30 minutes at San Diego, CA.
1930
A rare tornado struck the Los Angeles area in California, moving from the coast through the community of Hawthorne.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1938
A tornado hit McPaul, IA while moving from southeast to northwest. Another tornado raced through Batesville, IL at 60 to 65 mph. Another tornado causing F4 damage killed 10 and injured 12 in St. Clair County, Missouri. This tornado was part of an outbreak that produced four different tornadoes and was responsible for 11 deaths and 42 injuries.
1941
The most severe blizzard in modern history struck North Dakota and Minnesota. The blizzard hit on a Saturday night while many are traveling, and thus claimed 71 lives: 39 in North Dakota and 32 perishing in Minnesota. Winds gusted to 75 mph at Duluth, MN, and reached 85 mph at Grand Forks, ND. Snow drifts 12 feet high were reported in north central Minnesota. A cold front traveling at 30 mph crossed Minnesota in just 7 hours.
1952
73.62 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Cilaos, La Reunion Island in the South Indian Ocean to set a world record.
1982
An F3 tornado hit Ada, OK killing one person and injuring 36 at a mobile home park. 68 trailers were damaged or destroyed, with damages totaling $2 million dollars.
1984
Severe thunderstorms in Arkansas produced two violent F4 tornadoes. The first tornado tracked 48 miles through Van Buren, Cleburne, and Independence counties. Two people were killed and 13 were injured. 63 homes and 22 mobile homes were destroyed. The tornado lifted the highway 16 bridge and threw it into Greers Ferry Lake. The bridge was ¼ mile long and had a large steel superstructure. The second tornado tore through Jackson and Poinsett counties with 5 people killed and 12 injured.
1987
A winter storm produced heavy snow and high winds in the western U.S. Austin, NV reported 23 inches of snow. Widespread strong storm winds pushed gusts to 40 mph at San Diego, CA with sustained winds 25-35 mph all day. Power outages occurred all over the San Diego metro area. Motor homes toppled in the desert. Boats flipped over in harbors. A 22 foot boat turned over at the Mission Beach jetty. High winds raked the desert areas of southern California and southern Arizona. Winds gusted to 59 mph at Douglas, AZ.
1988
More than 100 hours of continuous snow finally came to an end at Marquette, MI, during which time the city was buried under 43 inches of snow.
1989
Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather from Alabama to the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 80 mph at Virginia Beach, VA. Prior to the storms, temperatures reached the 70s and 80s.
Low pressure in southeastern Ontario produced high winds in the northeastern U.S. Winds gusted to 70 mph at Saint Albins, VT.
1990
Low pressure crossing the Upper Mississippi Valley produced high winds from the northern and central Plains to the Great Lakes Region and Ohio Valley. Winds gusted to 73 mph at Iowa City, IA and 79 mph at Waukesha, WI. Winds of 75 mph were reported around Rapid City, SD, with gusts to 100 mph. Up to a foot of snow with blizzard conditions was reported in western Iowa, western Minnesota, and extreme eastern North Dakota.
In Washington, D.C., due to an early season extended period with temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, the cherry blossoms peaked on this date, the earliest ever. Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date including Danville, VA with 88°, Georgetown, DE hit 87°, Atlantic City, NJ with 83°, Baltimore, MD°, Dulles Airport, VA and Harrisburg, PA hit 82° and Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, PA with 81°.
1992
Intense snow squalls that began 3 days earlier finally came to an end over Oswego and Onondaga counties in central New York. Palermo was buried under an incredible 85 inches of snow over the four day period. Parish checked in with 60 inches and Fulton recorded 51 inches.
1993
New Orleans, LA dropped to 31° to break their old record by 9 degrees as cold air remained in place over the East in the wake of the "Superstorm". Fort Myers, FL dropped at 39°.
1994
9 inches of snow on this day brought the seasonal snowfall total at Binghamton, NY to 123.2 inches, the city's snowiest winter ever.
1997
Marquette, MI established their record for greatest snow depth with 63 inches on the ground.
2002
A huge thunderstorm over the River Plate Estuary on the Argentina/Uruguay border produced some very wet weather. In Montevideo 4.18 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours; most within 12 hours. This equaled their entire monthly average. Across the border, Buenos Aires had 2.25 inches of rain while La Plata recorded 3.74 inches. Other wet spots included Junin with 3.62 inches, Las Flores with 1.42 inches and Bolivar with 1.26 inches. Another thunderstorm dumped 6.78 inches of rain on Florida, Uruguay in 24 hours. This exceeded their monthly average rainfall of 4.33 inches.
2003
A deluge covered Los Angeles, CA with 4.10 inches of rain, their second greatest daily rainfall total for March.
2004
Brownsville, TX broke a century-old record for the greatest daily rainfall for March with 3.23 inches.
2007
Tropical Cyclone Indlada made landfall along the island of Madagascar's northeastern coast just south of Antalaha. The category 4 storm packed maximum sustained winds near 120 mph.
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March 16th:
1843
A great snowstorm affected areas from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine. Shelbyville, TN received 21 inches. Eight inches fell at Little Rock, AR. 10 inches fell at Memphis, TN and Washington, D.C. and a foot was reported at Baltimore, MD, New York City, NY and Philadelphia, PA.
1870
24 trains between Springfield, MA and Albany, NY were blocked by a big snowstorm.
1885
On this date through the 3/21, Pointe-des-Monts, Quebec Canadareceived 98 inches of snowfall.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1942
A widespread outbreak of tornadoes occurred across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana. 25 tornadoes were of F2 intensity or greater. Baldwin, MS was hit by 2 tornadoes (one an F4 and the other an F3) only 24 minutes apart. A violent F5 tornado tore through Peoria and Marshall Counties in Illinois, killing 7 people and injuring 70 others. Sixty-five fatalities occurred in Mississippi.
1963
High winds struck the metro Denver, CO area causing heavy damage. In Boulder, winds gusted as high as 100 mph. At the Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield, winds gusted to 98 mph causing severe damage to hangars and several light planes. Southwest of Littleton, Co reported a wind gust to 87 mph. A wind gust to 55 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport at Denver, CO uprooting trees, downing signs and disrupting utility lines.
1970
A late season winter storm occurred across the south-central Plains. Bartlesville, OK received 20 inches of snow.
1975
A single storm brought 119 inches of snow to Crater Lake, OR establishing a state record.
1986
A powerful, cold and unstable storm dropped heavy rain across the region. Almost three inches of rain fell in Fallbrook, more than two inches in Julian, 1.42 inches in San Diego and 1.18 inch in LA. A Compton boy died while swept away in the LA River. Heavy rain and snow that started on 3/15 and ended on this day caused mud slides along the coast in Orange County and in Malibu. Three feet of snow fell in the San Bernardino Mountains. On this day a tornado in Anaheim near Disneyland caused property damage and a funnel cloud was observed in San Diego Mira Mesa. Property damage in Anaheim was done to more than 12 roofs of industrial buildings. Gusts and debris broke windows, toppled trees and fences. Mature trees were snapped off at the trunk.
1987
Softball size hail caused millions of dollars damage to automobiles at Del Rio, TX. Three people were injured when hailstones crashed through a shopping mall skylight.
Further north, the same storm system dropped three to six inches of snow across Denver, CO with higher amounts in the foothills. Most of the snow melted as it fell with only 1.9 inches reported at Stapleton Airport in Denver.
1988
A winter storm produced heavy snow in the Central Rockies. Winds gusted to 80 mph at Centerville, UT. Many cities in the southeastern U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date, including Tallahassee, FL with a reading of 24°.
1989
A winter storm brought heavy snow and high winds to the southwestern U.S. Winds gusted to 60 mph at Lovelock, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and Fort Carson, CO. Snow fell at a rate of three inches per hour in the Lake Tahoe area of Nevada.
1990
Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced large hail and damaging winds from northwest Florida to western South Carolina. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 75 mph at Floridatown, FL located north of Pensacola. 7.75 inches of rain deluged Montgomery, AL.
The east coast heat wave was nearing an end. 16 cities across the northeastern quarter of the nation reported record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 78°at Burlington, VT smashed their previous record for the date by 23 degrees. New York City reported a record high of 82°. Other records included Dulles Airport, VA with 81°, Syracuse, NY with 80°, Windsor Locks, CT hit 79°, Georgetown, DE at 78°, Mt. Pocono, PA with 77° and closer to the coast Bridgeport, CT set a record with 65°.
1999
Billings, MTreported a wind gust of 63 mph; a new record for March.
2002
On this date through March 17, a snowstorm dumped 28.7 inches of snow on Anchorage, AK, breaking the old daily record of 15.6 inches. Snow amounts ranged from 24 to 29 inches at lower elevations.
2005
A storm surge pushed 33 foot waves, rocks and tons of ice crashing along the Avalon and Baie Verte Peninsulas on the east coast of Newfoundland Canada, causing millions of dollars in damage.
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March 17th:
1878
A late-winter thunderstorm struck with thunder that boomed like cannon fire at Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. A lightning bolt entered a home, hurling a young woman sitting at the family piano across the room.
1892
A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26.3 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis. It was the deepest snow on record for those areas.
1906
The temperature at Snake River, WY dipped to -50° setting a record for the U.S. for the month of March.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1945
An early season heat wave occurred across the East. Some records included: Raleigh, NC: 92°, Richmond, VA: 91°, Sussex, NJ: 90°, Hammonton, NJ: 90°, Norfolk, VA: 89°, Washington, D.C.: 88°, Salisbury, MD: 87°, Philadelphia, PA: 86°, Trenton, NJ: 86°, Baltimore, MD: 85°, Reading, PA: 85°, Allentown, PA: 84°, Wilmington, DE: 83°, Atlantic City, NJ: 83° and Mt. Pocono, PA: 76°.
1952
The ban on using the word "tornado" issued in 1886 ended on this date. In the 1880s,
John P. Finley of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, then handling weather forecasting for the
U.S., developed generalized forecasts on days tornadoes were most likely. But in 1886,
the Army ended Finley's program and banned the word "tornado" from forecasts because the harm done by a tornado prediction would eventually be greater than that which results
from the tornado itself?. The thinking was that people would be trampled in the panic if
they heard a tornado was possible. The ban stayed in place after the Weather Bureau, now the National Weather Service, took over forecasting from the Army. A tornado that
wrecked 52 large aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base, OK, on 3/20/1948, spurred Air Force
meteorologists to begin working on ways to forecast tornadoes. The Weather Bureau also began looking for ways to improve tornado forecasting and established the Severe Local Storm Warning Center, which is now the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK. The ban on the word "tornado" fell on this date when the new center issued its first “Tornado Wat
The St. Patrick's Day Snowstorm brought 20 inches to some places near Boston, MA. Nearby, the Blue Hill observatory at Milton recorded 12.6 inches.
1970
Chicago, IL had their greatest snowstorm for so late in season as 14 inches fell.
1985
A strong F3 tornado tore through Venice, FL during the early morning hours. 55 homes were destroyed and 220 were damaged. Two people were killed and 45 were injured.
1987
A powerful spring storm produced severe thunderstorms over the Central Gulf Coast States and heavy snow across the Northern Plains. A tornado caused $3 million dollars damage at Natchez, MS, and 6 inches of rain in five hours caused $5 million dollars damage at Vicksburg, MS. Cactus, TX received 10 inches of snow. Parts of western Kansas reported blizzard conditions.
1988
A winter storm produced heavy snow from the northeast Texas panhandle to the Ozark area of Missouri and Arkansas. Up to 15 inches of snow was reported in parts of Oklahoma and Texas. Snowfall totals in the Ozark area ranged up to 14 inches, with unofficial reports as high as 22 inches around Harrison, AR.
1989
Strong northerly winds ushered snow and arctic cold into the north central U.S. Winds gusted to 58 mph at Sidney and Scottsbluff, NE. Cadillac, MI received 12 inches of snow, and International Falls, MN reported a record low of -22°.
1990
Showers and thunderstorms associated with a slow moving cold front produced torrential rains across parts of the southeastern U.S. over a 2-day period. Flooding claimed the lives of at least 22 people, including 13 in Alabama. Up to 16 inches of rain deluged southern Alabama, with 10.63 inches reported at Mobile, AL in 24 hours. The town of Elba, AL was flooded with 6 to 12 feet of water causing more than $25 million dollars damage with total flood damage across Alabama exceeded $100 million dollars. 26 counties were declared disaster areas. Columbus, GA picked up 7.22 inches of rain to set their all time 24-hour record.
The east coast heat wave smashed 300 record highs over the previous six days, including this date. Georgetown, DE hit 77°, Burlington, VT soared to 78° & Buffalo, NY hit 78° breaking their record at 9:40AM.
1991
A vigorous storm that started on this day and ended onMarch 20 produced 1 to 8 inches of rainfall in lower elevations and up to 14 inches of precipitation in the mountains of southern California. During the period, 6.17 inches fell at Mt. Wilson and four inches fell in Santa Barbara. Two to five feet of snow fell in the mountains. Local flooding and mud slides resulted.
1998
Calgary, Alberta Canadaexperienced its worst March snowstorm in 113 years, with 13 inches of snow reported at the airport and from 15-18 inches in other parts of the city.
1999
Intense Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Vance moved across portions of Western Australia. A record wind gust for the Australian mainland of 167 mph was recorded at the Learmonth Meteorological Office.
2002
A Pacific storm system with lots of moisture caught forecasters by surprise, dumping 25.7 inches of snow at Anchorage, AK in 24 hours, easily surpassing the old mark of 15.6 inches.
2003
A powerful storm system crossed the Mediterranean Sea causing wind damage and power outages across Greece and heavy snowfall in the southern Peloponnesian region. Hurricane force winds swept across parts of the Aegean Sea.
On this date through March 23, a week of heavy rainfall flooded parts of northern Afghanistan's Samangan and Kunduz provinces. The flooding caused at least 11 deaths with hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed.
2007
All-time March high temperature records were set in several Utah locations: Zion National Park: 91°, Hanksville: 88°, Cedar City: 78° and Heber City: 74°.
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March 18th:
128
King Alexander III of Scotland died when he was blown off a cliff at Inverkeithing, Scotland by a violent easterly gale.
An F4 tornado killed 12 people and injured 30 on a 17 mile track through Calhoun and Cleburne counties in Alabama.
1914
San Francisco, CA recorded their highest temperature ever in March when the mercury soared to 86°.
1925
The infamous Tri-State Tornado raced 219 miles across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana at an average speed of 62 mph. to become the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history. The storm left 695 people dead, 2,027 injured and an estimated $17 million dollars in damage with 15,000 homes totally leveled. The twister touched down at 1:01pm 3 miles north-northwest of Ellington, MO and dissipated about 3 miles southwest of Petersburg, IN at 4:30pm local time. 234 people died at Murphysboro, IL; the most tornado fatalities ever at a single city. Of the 500 people in Parrish, IL, only 3 escaped injury. In Indiana the tornado raced across Posey, Gibson, and Pike counties killing 103 people. Not a single structure was left standing at Griffin, IN where there were 52 fatalities. 17 people died in Owensville and 24 fatalities were reported at Princeton. 148 people perished at West Frankfort, IL with 200 people seriously injured. In some places the storm's path was one mile wide. 16 students at a school in West Frankfort were left unharmed even though the building was leveled and the children were blown 150 yards. Easily an F5 tornado, the forward speed was 73 mph at one point. A different tornado swept through Harrison County, Indiana near Elizabeth killing four people. Seven other tornadoes claimed an additional 97 lives that day.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1952
151.73 inches of rain fell at Cilaos, La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean over a five day period to set, then the world rainfall record. This record was broken 2/24-28, 2007 when Commerce La Reunion Island picked up 196.06 inches
1958
A late-season winter storm brought heavy, wet snow to parts of the northeast from Virginia to New England. In parts of Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania, it was the heaviest snowfall ever recorded at that time. The most snow reported at a major reporting station was 11.7 inches at Central Park in New York City, but parts of Philadelphia, PA, New York, NY, Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. saw as much as 20 inches. 800 people were trapped along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Morganton, WV where the 3-day snowfall total was 50 inches.
1971
High winds accompanied a low pressure system from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes. Winds gusted to 100 mph at Hastings, NE, and reached 115 mph at Hays, KS. High winds caused $2 million dollars damage in Kansas while fire burned 50,000 acres in eastern Oklahoma. Further to the north, blizzardconditions moved across Iowa just north of Sioux City, with up to 8 inches of snow in Sioux and O'Brien counties. Nearly 12 inches of snow fell over extreme northwestern Iowa near the Minnesota border. Other snowfall amounts included 6 inches at Hawarden, Alton and Rock Valley, and 7.5 inches at Sheldon. Average wind speeds of 28 to 35 mph with gusts to 47 mph at Sioux City, IA. Damage was very extensive to electric and telephone lines, many tree limbs were broken and some plate glass windows were blown in.
1977
Borrego Springs, CAdropped to 28°, their lowest temperature in March.
1978
28 people were killed and 300 injured as a tornado touched down and stayed on the ground for over three miles in the northern suburbs of New Delhi, India.
1982
A farm home was destroyed by a tornado, and outbuildings were damaged 6 miles north-northwest of Liberal, KS. Debris was scattered for a half mile. About 2 miles N of Sublette, a mobile home was overturned. No injuries were reported.
In southern California, a storm that started on 3/16 finally came to an end on this date, producing 2 to 4 inches of rain in San Diego County. 2.13 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Pt. Loma causing local flooding that closed many streets. 25 inches of snow was recorded at Palomar Mountain, their greatest daily snowfall on record.
1987
A storm in the central U.S. produced up to 10 inches of snow in western Nebraska, and up to 6 inches of rain in eastern sections of the state. The heavy rains pushed the Elkhorn River out of its banks, submerging the streets of Inman under 3 feet of water.
1989
A storm in the western U.S. produced heavy rain in California, with heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada Range. Venado, CA was drenched with 5.40 inches of rain in 24 hours.
Many cities in the eastern U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date, including Baltimore, MD with a reading of 82°. Washington D.C. soared to 81°.
1990
Flooding in the Southeast continued, with streams and rivers in Georgia overflowing. $2.5 million in damage was reported around Columbus, GA, which had received a record 24-hour rainfall total of 7.22 inches the previous day. Up to 9 inches of rain was reported over the northern Kinchafoonee River Basin in Georgia.
An intense hailstorm struck the Sydney region in Australia producing strong winds and heavy rain in a swathe from Camden to Narrabeen, causing extensive damage. Hailstones were measured up to 3 inches in diameter. The total insured damage was estimated at $314 million Australian dollars, the third largest loss event in Australian insurance history.
1991
A vigorous storm that started on 3/17 and ended on 3/20 produced 1 to 8 inches of rainfall in lower elevations of southern California and up to 14 inches of precipitation in the mountains. 6.17 inches of rain fell at Mt. Wilson and four inches fell in Santa Barbara. Two to five feet of snow fell in the mountains. Local flooding and mud slides resulted.
1998
Total snow accumulations in southwest Kansas ranged up to 8 to 12 inches in Stafford, Comanche, Ford, Gray, Finney, Grant, Morton, Seward, Meade and Clark counties. 20 to 30 mph winds accompanied the snowfall resulting in visibilities under a half mile and significant drifting of the snow.
2002
A snowstorm over coastal British Columbia, Canada produced the latest and heaviest single-day snowfall on record for the city of Vancouver as 2.55 inches fell.
A cold core storm brought three inches of snow to Apple Valley, CA, their greatest daily snow amount for March. One inch fell at Hesperia.
2003
Utility poles in Madison, WI reportedly ignited as fog combined with leftover salt from the winter season to create a conductive solution that allowed the poles to catch fire.
Denver, CO dug out from their second biggest snowstorm in their history. Almost 2 ½ feet of wet snow over 36 hours shut down the city. The month ended as their snowiest March on record.
2005
Heavy snow occurred across the Upper Midwest. 24 inches was recorded at Lyle, MN, 23 inches at Alma Center, WI, and 19 inches at Otranto, IA. Rochester, MN was buried under 20.2 inches of snow for its greatest snowstorm on record.
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March 19th:
1907
The highest March temperature in Oklahoma City, OK was set when the temperature soared to 97°. Dodge City, KS also set a March record with 98°. Denver, CO set a daily record high of 81°.
1924
An Oklahoma snowstorm dumped over 11.3 inches at Oklahoma City and 11 inches at Tulsa.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1948
An F4 tornado moved through Fosterburg, Bunker Hill, and Gillespie, IL, killing 33 people and injuring 449 others. 2,000 buildings in Bunker Hill were damaged or destroyed. Total damage was $3.6 million dollars.
Another tornado skipped from Ohio City to Landeck to Columbus Grove, OH. Two altar boys were killed when the twister hit a Catholic church in Landeck and the steeple fell into the church after the walls were ripped away. Another person died in a barn north of Vaughnsville. Another F4 twister struck Washington and St. Francois counties in Missouri. These tornadoes were part of an outbreak that produced seven different tornadoes and were responsible for a total of 37 deaths and 507 injuries.
1950
Timberline Lodge reported 246 inches of snow on the ground (20 ½ feet), a record for the state of Oregon.
1956
Boston, MA endured its second major snowstorm in three days with 19.5 inches at the Blue Hill Observatory. 20 inches fell at Putnam, CT and Boston, MA received 13 inches. Traffic was paralyzed. This storm was a part of the snowiest March ever in southern New England until 1993.
1958
An extremely heavy, wet snow fell from Virginia to New England. Totals ranged as high as 17-30 inches. 49 people died in storm related accidents. 800 people were trapped along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Morgantown, WV. 38 inches fell at Morgantown in 24 hours and 50 inches total in 3 days, a Pennsylvania state record.
1959
A major storm dumped heavy snowfall of 7.7 inches at Stapleton Airport in Denver, CO where north winds gusting to 45 mph caused blowing and drifting. Many highways were blocked with damage to telephone lines along the South Platte River. The storm started a rain and changed to heavy wet snow which froze on the lines causing them to break. The storm was responsible for two deaths across eastern Colorado.
1964
39 inches of snow fell at Cape Whittle, Quebec Canada, the greatest one day snow total in the history of the province.
1969
High winds buffeted the front range foothills in eastern Colorado causing damage in Boulder and Jefferson counties. A freight train was derailed near the entrance to a canyon 20 miles west of Denver when some empty cars were caught on a curve by a wind gust. Two small planes were heavily damaged at the Jefferson County airport. Winds gusted to 105 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, 62 mph in downtown Boulder, and 80-90 mph at the Boulder airport. Stapleton Airport in Denver reported a gust to 49 mph.
1971
A strong frontal passage produced a wind gust to 80 mph that caused extensive damage to buildings at Langley Air Force Base just outside of Hampton, VA.
1972
The high of 93° established the record high for the month of March at Garden City, KS.
1984
A major winter storm produced blizzard conditions and 10-20 inches of snow in northwestern Kansas and southern Nebraska through the 19th. A severe ice storm occurred in parts of northeastern Kansas with 1 inch ice accumulations common. The 1,400 foot radio tower for KLDH-TV near Topeka buckled and then collapsed from the weight of a three-inch coating of ice. This ice storm ranks as one of the worst ever to hit Kansas.
1987
A storm in the western U.S. produced rain and snow from the northern and central Pacific coast to the northern and central Rockies. Heavier snowfall totals included 13 inches at Clear Creek, UT, 12 inches at Snow Camp, CA and Glacier Park, MT, and 10 inches at Kayenta, AZ. Wind gusts reached 54 mph at Winslow, AZ.
1988
Several cities in California and Nevada reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the 80s and lower 90s. Los Angeles, CA reported a record high of 89°.
Several cities in south central Texas reported record low temperatures, including El Paso, with a reading of 22°.
1989
Several cities reported new record low temperatures for the date as cold arctic air settled into the Upper Midwest for Palm Sunday, including Marquette, MI with a reading of -11°.
1990
Rather wintry weather in the eastern U.S. replaced the 80 degree weather of the previous week. Freezing temperatures were reported in northern sections of the Gulf Coast States, and snow began to whiten the northern and central Appalachians. Up to eight inches of snow was reported in parts of western Virginia.
1991
A vigorous storm that started on the 17th and ended on 20th produced one to eight inches of rainfall in lower elevations of southern California and up to 14 inches of precipitation in the mountains. 6.17 inches fell at Mt. Wilson and four inches fell in Santa Barbara. Two to five feet of snow fell in the mountains. On this date, one foot of snow fell at Mt. Laguna, and six inches fell at Palomar Mountain and Cuyamaca. Schools and roads closed in the mountains, including I-8 from Alpine to Imperial County. Local flooding and mud slidesresulted. A tornado in the East City Heights neighborhood of San Diego caused property damage. A tornado in the San Carlos area of San Diego caused extensive damage. Pine trees were ripped out by the roots, palm and cottonwood trees were snapped in half. Cars were smashed by falling objects, debris and patio furniture was strewn throughout neighborhoods, including a refrigerator. A car was moved 60 feet by a falling palm. Another tornado moved through Lakewood and Bellflower. Strong winds created large waves and surf. A 33 foot sailboat was blown aground and destroyed at Pt. Loma.
2001
A heavy snowstorm blanketed North Germany, South Denmark and parts of Sweden. In Germany, Flensburg reported 6.3 inches snow and Eggebek with 7.1 inches.
2002
Dawson Creek, British Columbia Canada shivered as the temperature plunged to -35°, the coldest temperature ever for this date in the province of British Columbia.
2003
One of the worst blizzards since records began in 1872 struck the Denver metro area and Colorado’s Front Range began with a vengeance. Denver International Airport was closed stranding about 4,000 travelers. The weight of the snow caused a 40-foot gash in a portion of the roof forcing the evacuation of that section of the main terminal building. Winds gusting to 40 mph produced drifts six feet high in places around the city. Snowfall in foothills was even more impressive. The heavy wet snow caused numerous roofs of homes and businesses to collapse. The estimated cost of property damage alone, not including large commercial buildings, was $93 million dollars, making it the most costly snowstorm on record for the area. In Denver alone at least 258 structures were damaged. Up to 135,000 people lost power during the storm and it took several days for power to be totally restored. Mayor Wellington Webb of Denver said, "This is the storm of the century, a backbreaker, a record breaker, a roof breaker." Avalanches in the mountains and foothills closed many roads, including Interstate 70, stranding hundreds of skiers and travelers. The Eldora Ski area 270 skiers were stranded when an avalanche closed the main access road. After the storm, a military helicopter had to deliver food to the resort until the road could be cleared. Two people died in Aurora from heart attacks after shoveling the heavy wet snow. The National Guard sent 40 soldiers and 20 heavy duty vehicles to rescue stranded travelers along a section of I-70. Thousands of residents in Jefferson County were trapped in their homes for several days. Two homes burned to the ground when fire crews could not reach the residences. The storm made March 2003 the snowiest March on record, the fourth snowiest month on record and the fifth wettest March on record. The total of 22.9 inches is the greatest 24-hour total in March. The storm also broke 19 consecutive months of below normal precipitation for Denver.
31.8 inches of snow was recorded at the former Stapleton Airport in Denver for its second greatest snowstorm on record (the greatest was 37.5 inches on 12/4-12/5/1913) with up to three feet in other areas in and around the city and more than seven feet in the foothills.
Higher amounts included: Fritz Peak: 87.5 inches, Rollinsville: 87.5 inches, Canin Creek: 83 inches, Near Bergen Park: 74 inches, Northwest of Evergreen: 73 inches, Cola Creek Canyon: 72 inches, Georgetown: 70 inches, Jamestown: 63 inches, Near Blackhawk: 60 inches, Eldora Ski Area: 55 inches, Ken Caryl Ranch: 46.6 inches, Aurora: 40 inches, Centennial: 38 inches, Buckley AFB: 37 inches, Southwest Denver: 35 inches, Louisville: 34 inches, Arvada: 32 inches, Broomfield: 31 inches, Westminster: 31 inches and Boulder: 22.5 inches.
This storm was the result of a very moist intense slow moving Pacific system which tracked across the four corners and into southeastern Colorado which allowed a deep easterly upslope to form among the front range.
2006
Strong northerly winds associated with surface low pressure intensified as it moved into the Central Plains which brought heavy wet snow to the eastern foothills and northeastern plains of Colorado. The hardest hit areas included the foothills of Boulder and Gilpin Counties. Storm totals included: 15 inches at Rollinsville, 14 inches at Aspen Springs, 12.5 inches at Nederland and 5.7 inches in the Denver Stapleton area. Strong winds gusting over 30 mph, heavy snow and poor visibility forces the closure of I-70 from Denver east to the Kansas state line.
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March 20th:
1907
This was the last of three consecutive record warms days across parts of Colorado. Denver broke a record soaring to 80°. This followed a record high minimum of 52°.
1912
Heavy snow followed the passage of a front across the central Rockies. Denver reported 6.3 inches of snow with gusty winds. The strong cold front plunged temperatures from a high of 60° on 3/19 to a low of 1° on this date.
1924
A late winter storm in Oklahoma produced nearly a foot of snow at Oklahoma City and at Tulsa.
1935
Suffocating dust storms occurred frequently in southeast Colorado between the 12th and the 25th of the month. Six people died, and many livestock starved or suffocated. Up to six feet of dust covered the ground. Schools were closed, and many rural homes were deserted by tenants.
1948
An F3 tornado tracked through Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, OK just before 10 p.m. destroying 54 aircraft, including 17 transport planes valued at $500,000 dollars a piece. Total damage amounted to more than $10 million dollars, a record for the state that stood until the massive tornado outbreak of 5/3/1999. Major Ernest W. Fawbush and Captain Robert C. Miller were ordered to see if operationally forecasting tornadoes was possible. The tornado prompted the first attempt at tornado forecasting. Forecasters at Tinker believed conditions were again favorable for tornadoes, and issued the first recorded tornado forecast. Five days later on 3/25 at 6pm, a forecasted tornado occurred, crossing the prepared base and damage was minimized. Their successful, albeit somewhat lucky forecast paved the way for tornado forecasts to be issued by the U.S. Weather Bureau after a long ban.
The city of Juneau received 31 inches of snow in 24 hours, a record for the Alaska capital.
1958
A coastal storm dumped heavy, wet snow in southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland. 38 inches fell at Morgantown, WV in 24 hours with 50 inches in three days. Allentown, PA checked in with 20 inches.
National Airport only picked up 4.8 inches of wet snow. Arlington had a foot of snow. In the Maryland suburbs, 9 inches fell in Greenbelt; 11 inches in Silver Spring; 15 inches fell at Fort Meade; and 16 inches fell at Bethesda. Much of the Upper Montgomery County and Howard County received over 20 inches and Mt. Airy, MD had 33 inches of snow. The interesting feature of this storm was extreme amount of water content. National Airport in Washington, D.C. recorded a water content of 3.75 inches and some stations reported over 5 inches of liquid content.
1984
A major 3-day winter storm was winding down over the Central Plains. Up to 20 inches of snow fell across parts of Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. A thick coat of ice coated the landscape from eastern Kansas, across northwestern Missouri and parts of Iowa.
1986
Great Britain recorded their highest wind gust ever as the summit of Scotland’s Cairngorm Mountains, at 4,085 feet had a gust of 172 mph.
1987
A storm produced blizzard conditions in Wyoming and eastern Nebraska, and severe thunderstorms in central Nebraska. Snowfall totals ranged up to 12 inches at Glenrock WY and Chadron NE. Thunderstorms in central Nebraska produced wind gusts to 69 mph at Valentine, and to 76 mph at Bartley.
1988
Squalls in the Great Lakes Region left up to 8 inches of new snow on the ground in time for the official start of spring.
Unseasonably warm weather prevailed in the western U.S. Several cities reported new record high temperatures for the date, including Tucson, AZ with a reading of 89°.
1989
A strong storm system brought blizzard conditions to far western Kansas during the morning and afternoon hours. Winds of 40 to 60 mph and temperatures in the lower 20s accompanied the snow. Visibilities were reduced to under ½ mile due to blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall amounts were generally in the 1 to 3 inch range with 4 to 7 inches in portions of southwest Kansas near Garden city. Many roads in the area were closed during the storm.
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from east Texas to Alabama and northwest Florida, with nearly 50 reports of large hail and damaging winds during the afternoon and evening hours.
1990
The northeastern U.S. was in the midst of a snowstorm as spring officially began. Snowfall totals in the Green Mountains of Vermont ranged up to 30 inches, and up to 15 inches of snow was reported in the Catskills and Adirondacks of eastern New York State. Totals in eastern Pennsylvania ranged up to 12 inches at Armenia Mountain. The storm resulted in one death, and 49 injuries. Two to six inches of snow blanketed the Washington D.C. area after record heat a few days before with up to 12 inches falling in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A multi-vortex tornado raced through the suburbs of Welkom, South Africa destroying 4,000 homes.
1991
A vigorous storm that started on March 17 and ended on this date across southern California produced 1 to 8 inches of rainfall in lower elevations and up to 14 inches of precipitation in the mountains. 2 to 5 feet of snow fell in the mountains. Local flooding and mud slides resulted. Highway 78 in north San Diego County was flooded and closed. Tornadoes hit Riverside and Muscoy, near San Bernardino. Lightning struck at transformer in the North Park area of San Diego, knocking out power. Lightning also started a house fire. A waterspout came ashore to become a tornado at Camp Pendleton. Two other waterspouts were seen off the coast.
1997
Flooding in the Northwest from heavy rains and melting snows caused 36 mudslides in 24 hours in the Seattle, WA area destroying 4 homes, less than 3 months after severe flooding hit the same area. Rain was especially heavy along the Washington coast, with almost 21 inches in 4 days at the Wynoochee River measuring station near Aberdeen.
Record heat occurred in the western U.S. San Diego, CA set a new record with a temperature of 88°, breaking the old record of 84°, set in 1931. It was their second day in a row of record high temperatures. Los Angeles, CA set a new record high for the third day in a row with a noon time reading of 91°. Away from the west coast, Rapid City, SD set a record high of 78°.
1998
No watches or warnings were in effect when a tornado struck the area around Gainesville, GA during the early morning hours. Two schools and dozens of homes were in the path of the fast moving twister that killed 14 people. Two other people were killed in the late afternoon at Stoneville, NC as a tornado heavily damaged the business district of the town of 3,000 people.
2002
For the fourth day in a row snow fell on Victoria and Vancouver in southwest British Columbia and Vancouver Island Canada, the latest, and deepest, major snowfall ever recorded in that part of the province. The first days of spring accumulated between 4 to 6 inches of snow.
The first "shachenbao" or "sand-dust tempest" of the season severely reduced visibilities and covered everything around the city of Beijing, China in a fine layer of dust from the Mongolian Desert.
2003
Killer tornadoes roared through southwestern Georgia during the early morning hours, killing six and injuring 200 others. A National Weather Service employee who flew over the disaster scene described as looking like a "big lawn mower" had passed across the area. One of the tornadoes passed just south of Camilla, GA, where a devastating tornado had killed 11 people in February 2000.
2005
A severe storm moving through South San Francisco, CA spawned an F1 tornado. Crossing an industrial park and residential area, the tornado damaged at least 20 homes and 20 businesses, including the city's new fire station, and uprooted trees.
2006
Snow accumulated up to 17.8 inches over 24 hours at Grand Island, NE, breaking the old local record for most snowfall in a day by 4.8 inches. The total snowfall over 48 hours was also a record total of 29.7 inches.
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