March – In Like a Lion ?

March 3-4 Winter Weather Advisories  (Source: WUSA9)

March has gotten off to a rather cold start in the Nation’s Capital with a high temperature of only 39° yesterday.  That’s following DC’s fourth consecutive warmer than average February.  Last month finished 3.2° warmer than average and was also wetter than average with 3.52” of rain (including liquid snow equivalent).  DC’s warmest temperature last month was 74° on February 5, only three days after February’s coldest temperature of 18° on Groundhog Day.

Average high/low temperatures in Washington, D.C. range from 51°/34° on March 1 to 61°/42° on March 31.  DC’s warmest March temperature on record of 93° occurred on March 23, 1907.  Meanwhile, DC’s coldest March temperature remains 4° from March 4, 1873.  While 11 of the last 20 March’s (1999-2018) have been warmer than average in the Nation’s Capital, four of the last six have actually been colder than average.  DC residents experienced the warmest March on record in 2012, with an average monthly temperature (combining daily high and low temperatures) of 56.8° (10° above average). 

Many DC residents may not realize that the Nation’s Capital averages 1.3” of snow in March based on data from NOAA.  With 0.3” of snow at National Airport yesterday, accumulating snow has now occurred in Washington, D.C. in seven consecutive March’s dating back to 2013.  DC’s largest March snowstorm on record remains the 12” that occurred on March 27-28, 1942.  However, March 2014 had DC’s snowiest St. Patrick’s Day on record with a total of 7.2” on March 16-17.

Average high/low temperatures remain above freezing throughout the month of March.  The sun angle also increases in March.  These two things conspire to make it difficult for accumulating snow to occur.  Despite these factors, March is occasionally DC’s snowiest month of the year as was the case in 2018.

A complicated weather system will envelop the Mid-Atlantic Region tomorrow.  The Rain/Snow line will bisect the DC Metro Area.  Areas north and west of the Nation’s Capital could see an appreciable amount of snowfall, while areas south and east of town will primarily see a cold rain.  My colleagues and I on the WUSA9 Weather Team have been working tirelessly to update the weather forecast.  Much of the upcoming week will also feature temperatures significantly colder than average.  

March 3 Daily Snowfall Records (Source: National Weather Service)

Washington, D.C. (National Airport “DCA”): 7.1” (1960)
Dulles Airport, Sterling, VA (“IAD”): 4.9” (2014)
Baltimore, MD (BWI Airport): 10” (1960)