Saturday, September 14, 2024
By Brad Spakowitz
Correspondent
In an abrupt about-face from the two previous, very dry months, March was much wetter than average, due largely to three very potent, multi-day storm systems that moved through the area.
The first storm arrived in the predawn hours of March 5, bringing a brief round of freezing rain that quickly turned to all rain here, but prompted a rare ice storm warning for northern Wisconsin, where up to a third of an inch of ice accumulated.
The main event for Northeast Wisconsin came later that afternoon and evening, with soaking rain and the first thunder of the season.
We escaped severe weather here, but a strong thunderstorm around 10 p.m. produced Wisconsin’s first tornado of the year in Dane County, knocking down power lines and causing damage to homes.
For us, the challenge was heavy rain, a record 1.79 inches for the date, which caused a number of flooding problems on streets and in basements, as the still-frozen ground forced the rain and melting snow to runoff and not soak in.
The next day (March 6), water was still standing everywhere, and rivers and streams were flowing swiftly.
That night temperatures dropped, freezing the standing water and making things slippery, plus a light 1-2 inches of snow fell by morning.
This marked the beginning of a near week-long cold spell with highs in the 20s and low 30s, and bringing the coldest temperature of the month – only 3 degrees the morning of March 12.
Then temperatures suddenly swung in the other direction, and we were treated with two spring-like days, reaching 62 degrees on both March 16 and 17, the warmest temperatures of the month – and the year so far.
The warmth, however, vanished quickly as the following days brought colder air and some light mix and snow, leaving more than just people grumbling.
The returning sandhill cranes, red winged blackbirds and robins were quite vocal too.
The second big storm of the month arrived March 22 and lasted three days.
The prolonged event was mostly rain here with as much as 1.5 inches in spots.
Far northern Wisconsin was again clobbered with another major icing event, which left tens of thousands without power, some for days.
Just a week later, big storm number three arrived, bringing frequent thunder and lightning, and a mix of rain and sleet – enough to lightly cover the ground in spots.
Drizzle and rain persisted into the following day leaving behind another 1.66 inches, which turned to light snow overnight and continued into the next day, ending the storm and the month.
Final March statistics
• Measurable snow fell on seven days – the greatest, 2.3 inches March 13.
• The monthly total snowfall was 7.1 inches, exactly one inch less than the 30-year average.
• Total precipitation (rain, melted snow and ice) measured a whopping 6.03 inches, 4.07 inches above normal, making it the wettest March ever on record.
• The monthly mean temperature was 32.1 degrees, exactly the 30-year norm.
Changes during April
• Daily temperatures continue their upward climb – 61 degrees the average high by the end of the month, 40 the average low.
• The month averages 3 inches of precipitation, which includes a melted 4.7 inches of snow.
• Daylight gain continues at a fast pace, gaining another hour and 25 minutes, placing sunrise at 5:43 a.m. and sunset at 7:55 p.m. on April 30.
