NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

MARCH 2017

4-10: Locally heavy showers persisted in a few areas, including the interior Southeast and the middle Mississippi Valley. In addition, significant snow continued to blanket portions of the northern Plains and upper Midwest, while parts of the Northeast
endured a second major storm in less than a week. Although the second storm produced less wind than the early-March event, Northeastern snowfall was heavier in many locations. A storm system traversed the Intermountain West and the north-central U.S.
On March 4, daily-record snowfall totals in Utah included 13.0 inches in Fillmore; 10.0 inches in Spanish Fork; and 7.6 inches in Salt Lake City. In Montana, Glasgow received 15.0 inches of snow from March 3-5, aided by a daily-record sum of 13.0 inches
on the 4th. By March 5, daily-record snowfall totals across the upper Midwest reached 8.2 inches in Aberdeen, SD, and 6.3 inches in Fargo, ND, and Rochester, MN. As the storm drifted eastward, locally heavy snow developed in the Great Lakes region,
while showers and thunderstorms erupted across the South. Gaylord, MI, received 8.5 inches of snow on March 6, while Baton Rouge, LA, measured a daily-record rainfall of 2.14 inches. Snow reached the Northeast on March 7, resulting in daily-record
totals in locations such as Islip, NY (6.5 inches); Bridgeport, CT (6.0 inches); and Philadelphia, PA (6.0 inches). Atlantic City, NJ, collected a daily-record precipitation total (2.11 inches) for March 7, but noted only 2.5 inches of snow. Atlantic
City also reported a peak wind gust to 53 mph on the 7th, compared to 60 mph during the earlier nor’easter on March 2. In New York, Albany’s month-to-date snowfall climbed to 24.0 inches, aided by identical 11.9-inch totals on March 2 and 7-8. At
week’s end, a few showers in the Southwest contributed to a daily-record rainfall total (0.33 inch) in Barstow-Daggett, CA. The rain nearly doubled Barstow Daggett’s precipitation since October 1, 2017, to 0.74 inch (29 percent of normal).

11-17: Late-season storminess continued to boost snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and other Western regions, including the northern Great Basin. The California Department of Water Resources indicated that the water content of the high-elevation Sierra
Nevada snowpack had increased to 11 inches by March 15, nearly triple the mid-February value of 4 inches but only 40 percent of the mid-March normal. Stormy conditions persisted in the Northeast, as the third major storm of the month brought more heavy
snow and high winds, as well as a full-fledged blizzard to coastal New England. The week opened on a stormy note in the Southeast, with snow accumulating from the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the southern Mid-Atlantic States. On March 11, Jackson, MS,
reported a dailyrecord rainfall of 2.33 inches. Farther north, Lexington, KY, was buried by a 9.0-inch snowfall on March 11-12. Elsewhere in Kentucky, Jackson received a daily-record snowfall (5.2 inches) for March 12. In the southern Mid-Atlantic
region, March 12 snowfall totaled 3.0 inches in Greensboro, NC, and 2.0 inches in Richmond, VA. On March 13, a blizzard engulfed much of coastal New England, while heavy snow also fell farther inland. In Massachusetts, the 13th became the snowiest
March day on record in Worcester (21.8 inches and a peak gust to 40 mph) and Boston (14.5 inches and 50 mph). Isolated storm-total snowfall reached or exceeded 2 feet, mainly in parts of Massachusetts, while Nantucket Island, MA, reported an official
peak gust to 70 mph on the 13th. Elsewhere, Portland, ME, received 14.3 inches on March 13-14, accompanied by a peak gust to 44 mph, while Providence, RI, reported 9.5 inches, along with a gust to 48 mph. Concord, NH, noted 17.1 inches of snow on March
13-14. Farther inland, Albany, NY, received 12.0 inches of snow from March 12-14, following 11.9-inch totals on March 2 and 7-8. During the mid- to late-week period, the focus for significant precipitation shifted to the West. From March 14-17, Elko,
NV, received 1.03 inches of precipitation and 5.0 inches of snow. Elsewhere in Nevada, Winnemucca was blanketed by a 13.8-inch snowfall on March 1516, aided by a total of 11.3 inches on the latter date. Previously, Winnemucca’s snowiest March day had
been March 6, 1952, with 7.5 inches. Similarly, Reno, NV, measured 9.1 inches of snow on the 16th—experiencing its snowiest March day since March 14, 1952, when 13.6 inches fell. Toward week’s end, precipitation expanded across the Northwest and
parts of the northern Plains. In Montana, record-setting precipitation totals for March 15 included 0.52 inch in Cut Bank and 0.38 inch in Helena. In Nebraska, daily-record amounts for March 16 reached 0.83 inch in Norfolk and 0.75 inch (including 4.2
inches of snow) in Valentine. Finally, March 17 featured daily-record precipitation amounts in locations such as Walla Walla, WA (0.59 inch), and Lewiston, ID (0.49 inch).

18-14: Chilly conditions prevailed for the third week in a row across much of the eastern one-third of the country. In the Northeast, mostly dry weather accompanied the below-normal temperatures, but a mid-week storm produced heavy snow in portions of
the Mid-Atlantic region and grazed New England. Subsequently, a late week storm deposited a stripe of heavy snow from the northern Plains into the southern Mid-Atlantic region, with some locations receiving more than a foot. Heavy rain swept across
southern California on March 21, where daily-record totals included 1.85 inches in Santa Barbara and 1.83 inches in Oxnard. Over a 3-day period, from March 21-23, Paso Robles, CA, received 4.29 inches. In California’s Central Valley, March 20-22
rainfall totals reached 2.42 inches in Madera and 2.26 inches in Fresno. Blue Canyon, CA, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, received 7.05 inches during the same 3-day period. Heavy precipitation also reached into the Northwest, where record-setting
amounts in Idaho for March 22 totaled 0.65 inch in Idaho Falls and 0.63 inch in Pocatello. In Oregon, Roseburg collected a daily record rainfall (1.56 inches) for March 23. Meanwhile, heavy showers and locally severe thunderstorms struck parts of the
Southeast on March 19-20. On the first day of the outbreak, large hail and several tornadoes were noted from northeastern Mississippi into Georgia. In Florida, record-setting rainfall totals for March 19 included 4.21 inches in Tallahassee and 2.03
inches in Gainesville. By March 20, heavy snow developed in the Ohio Valley and spread eastward. Storm-total (March 20-21) snowfall included 8.6 inches in Louisville, KY, and 4.2 inches in Cincinnati, OH. In the northern Mid-Atlantic region, record-
setting snowfall amounts for March 21 totaled 14.9 inches in Islip, NY; 7.9 inches in Newark, NJ; and 6.7 inches in Wilmington, DE. Elsewhere on the 21st, New York’s Central Park received 8.2 inches, while daily-record totals in Pennsylvania reached
13.2 inches in Allentown and 11.9 inches in Harrisburg. A few days later, a narrow band of heavy snow resulted in daily-record totals for March 24 in locations such as Bluefield, WV (17.0 inches); Mason City, IA (12.4 inches); Indianapolis, IN (10.2
inches); and Peoria, IL (7.9 inches). Prior to this event, Bluefield’s greatest calendar-day snowfall in March had been 16.3 inches on March 13, 1993. The only snowier March day in Indianapolis was March 19, 1906, when 12.1 inches fell.

25-31: Heavy rain, locally in excess of 4 inches, sparked flooding and halted fieldwork across the mid-South and much of the western Gulf Coast region. Soaking rain also struck the lower Midwest, causing some renewed lowland flooding just a month after
the middle Ohio River rose to its highest level in 21 years. Several rounds of snow affected the northern U.S., while two major waves of rain crossed the mid-South and lower Midwest. On March 25, Grand Forks, ND, received a daily-record precipitation
total of 0.44 inch, in the form of 5.3 inches of snow. The following day, separate areas of snow resulted in recordsetting totals for March 26 in locations such as Riverton, WY (4.7 inches), and International Falls, MN (4.0 inches). With other events
added, Riverton’s weekly (March 25-31) snowfall climbed to 7.2 inches. Later, daily-record snowfall totals for March 30 included 2.8 inches in St. Cloud, MN, and 2.6 inches in Marquette, MI. Marquette’s 2-day (March 30-31) snowfall reached 7.5
inches. Elsewhere in the Great Lakes region, Rhinelander, WI, netted a daily-record snowfall (8.8 inches) for March 31. Farther south, rainfall was heaviest from March 27-29. In Texas, the 28th was the wettest March day on record in locations such as
Austin (5.99 inches; previously, 2.69 inches on March 20, 2012); College Station (4.52 inches; previously, 4.20 inches on March 27, 1980); and San Antonio (3.51 inches; previously, 2.63 inches on March 29, 1922). Elsewhere on March 28, daily-record
rainfall totals reached 4.50 inches in Lufkin, TX; 3.64 inches in Alexandria, LA; and 3.00 inches in El Dorado, AR. Alexandria’s March 28-29 sum totaled 6.66 inches, while Lufkin’s 2-day rainfall reached 5.93 inches. Meanwhile in Ohio, more than
half (1.36 inches) of Dayton’s 2.28-inch weekly total occurred on March 29. In southern Illinois, Carbondale netted 4.37 inches of rain from March 27-29. Just enough rain fell on March 27 to briefly dampen parts of the southern High Plains. In Texas,
more than 90 percent of the year-to-date precipitation fell on March 27 in Wink (0.25 of 0.27 inch) and Amarillo (0.24 of 0.25 inch). However, Amarillo’s 0.25 inch sum was barely 10 percent of the January 1 – March 27 normal of 2.47 inches. After
the March 27 event, year-to-date precipitation remained below one-tenth of an inch in locations such as Guymon, OK (0.06 inch), and Dalhart, TX (0.01 inch).

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