March 1 Starts Meteorological Spring And Big Changes This Month

March 1 2020

Spring begins today on the Meteorological calendar. The seasons are grouped together into full 3 month blocks.  Astronomical Spring will be the earliest in 124 year, thanks in part to Leap Year Day. It begins at 11:50 PM on March 19, 2020.

There may be little to celebrate as Baltimore just ended the 5th warmest winter season and first snow-less February since 1884. So it seems like winter hardly started. But this month does hold some big changes. Check them out:

Cherry Blossoms on National Mall

One sign of spring in our area is the annual progression of the cherry Blossoms in Washington DC. The National Parks Service announced they have reached the first of  stages. This is earlier than last year, but later than 2017, and 2018.

 

Temperature Jump

The average temperature will rise  10 degrees by the end of the month in Baltimore

• March 1 Average High: 49ºF
• March 1 Average Low: 29ºF

 

• March 31 Average High: 59ºF
• March 31 Average Low: 38ºF

 

Temperature Extremes

Coldest (just a few years ago)

• 4ºF in 2014 (March 4th)

Warmest

• 90ºF in 1945 (March 29)

 

Snow?

Even in the mild winters, March can provide late snow. I discussed this in a recent report on  March snow after winter was slow

• 6 inches of snow falling on 14 dates in March
• 10 inches of snow or more have fallen on 6 dates in March.

Over 22 inches of snow

The most snow happened in 1941 when Baltimore had barely 4 inches of snow, then March 29 received a record 21.9 inches of snow.  The storm total was 22.2″. That was our 6th largest all time snow event on record.

 

March 1990 Extreme Flip

Record Highs were set

• 12th = 86ºF
• 13th = 85ºF

Record snow less than 2 weeks later

• 24th = 1.4″ Snow

 

 

Daylight

We are in the fastest daily change of sunlight gaining more than 2:30 of sunlight each day!

• March 1 Sunrise 6:38 AM
• March 1 Sunset 5:59 PM

Daylight Saving Time is on Sunday March 8

We turn the clocks forward 1 hour.

• March 31 Sunrise: 6:51 AM
• March 31 Sunset: 7:29 PM

The net result will be sunset 1:30 later by the end of the month. But the morning sunrise will need to adjust and will be actually be 13 minutes later at the end of the month.

Super Moon Season

This month the full moon is on March 9. It will be the first of 3 super moons in a row (also April and May).  This is when it reaches with 90% of its closest to Earth during full or new moon phase).  Teachers and parents, this is the first day back to school after the clock change. You may want to mark it on your calendar and prepare (you know what I mean).

 

 

Baltimore history of snowless February(s) and winters when March brought the most snow:

Click here to see more: March Snow After Winter Has Been Slow

 

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