Weather Quiz

March 2016 Snow

True or False. 

Including this month, Washington, D.C. has had above average snowfall during three of the last four Marchs.

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Answer to Weather Quiz question from March 5.

C.  April 4. 

National Park Service data indicates 2016 was the first season since 2012 that the cherry blossoms reached peak bloom early.  “Peak bloom” occurs when 70% of the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

April is Almost Here

Spring is a beautiful time of the year !

Residents and tourists in the DC Metro Region are in a good place weather-wise as March 2016 comes to a close.  The cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin reached peak bloom on March 25 – a full two weeks earlier than in 2014 and 2015.  This month is also well-positioned to finish among the warmest Marchs on record in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

March features some of the widest variability in weather of any month.  During the last 25 years there have been memorable cases of highly changeable weather – including significant snowfall and severe weather.  Fresh on the minds of many is how the last three Marchs have been colder and snowier than average in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  In fact, with 12.7 inches of snow, March 2014 was Washington, D.C.’s snowiest March in decades.

March can also be fickle on a day-to-day basis with any given day featuring a cold start and a very warm finish.  Such was the case on March 7, 1994, when National Airport had a low temperature of 35 degrees and a high of 73 degrees for a dramatic 38-degree swing in temperature.  On the same day, Dulles Airport saw a 45-degree difference between its high and low temperature.  Such dramatic temperature swings can promote an atmosphere conducive to severe weather like what occurred on March 29, 2003.  That’s when a tornado touched down near the town of La Plata in Charles County, MD.  An even larger severe weather outbreak occurred in the Mid-Atlantic Region on March 4, 2008 with multiple reports of severe wind and hail. 

Severe weather is more common in other parts of the United States in March.  For example, on March 2, 2012 a significant outbreak occurred from Texas to Ohio with nearly 1,000 severe weather reports – including 160 tornadoes.  Those tornadoes tragically caused more than two dozen fatalities.  Another deadly tornado outbreak occurred on March 12, 2006 when 140 tornadoes developed from Oklahoma to Illinois and claimed four lives. Fortunately, this March hasn’t had a severe weather outbreak as widespread or deadly as either of those outbreaks.

This month’s weather in the Nation’s Capital has been relatively benign with above average temperatures.  The combination of a warm second half of February and March’s warmth helped the cherry blossoms reach one of their earliest peak blooms of the last 25 years.  As March comes to a close, my colleagues and I on the WUSA9 weather team will keep you apprised of the latest weather forecasts on-air, online and on the WUSA9 app – free for your mobile devices.

How is this March Shaping Up?

Cherry Blossoms in full splendor, Bethesda, MD  (March 2016)

One of March’s hallmarks is highly variable weather across the United States.  Such has been the case in 2016 with a wide assortment of weather nationally – as well as in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Although measureable snow occurred on March 4, this month has largely been warmer than average which has helped the cherry blossoms bloom more quickly.  Washingtonians are largely thrilled the world-famous cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin are reaching peak bloom more than a week earlier than average (April 4).

According to the National Park Service, the cherry blossoms reach “peak bloom” when at least 70% are in full bloom.  Once they reach peak bloom, favorable weather for longer lasting cherry blossoms include light winds and cool temperatures.  Warm temperatures and windy conditions are not conducive for long lasting blossoms.  Peak bloom is expected this weekend which would be more than two weeks earlier than last year.

While this month has been warmer than average in the Nation’s Capital, other parts of the country have seen more dramatic weather.  The National Weather Service measured 13.1 inches of snow at Denver International Airport on March 23 – just a day after they had a high temperature of 73 degrees.  March is Denver’s snowiest month on average so that much snow isn’t as unusual as it is dramatic only a day after temperatures in the 70s. 

Although Washington, DC has not seen as dramatic a shift in temperatures this month as in Denver, the major shift in the Nation’s Capital has been between average temperatures this month compared to March 2015.  By comparison, March 2016 is poised to finish as one of the top five warmest March’s on record in Washington, D.C. 

In addition to warmer than average weather and prodigious snowfall in spots, this month has also had severe weather.  Although the United States doesn’t typically see as much severe weather in March as in April, May and June, it does still occur.  Such was the case on March 15 when an estimated 15 tornadoes touched down in Illinois and Iowa.  The DC Metro Region occasionally has severe weather in March as was the case in 2011.  The major weather story in the DC Metro Region this weekend will be the cherry blossoms reaching their peak bloom along the Tidal Basin.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 17.

Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Dates for Last Ten Years (U.S. National Park Service)

2015: April 10
2014: April 10
2013: April 9
2012: March 20
2011: March 29

2010: March 31
2009: April 1
2008: March 29
2007: April 1
2006: March 30