Climate Summary for March 2015 for North Platte & Valentine

MARCH 2015 WAS DOMINATED BY UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES AND
RECORD DRYNESS. THE MONTH STARTED OUT COLD WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS
FALLING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND EVEN BELOW ZERO DURING THE
FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH. THEN A RIDGE BUILD IN FROM THE WEST AND
DOMINATED THE REST OF THE MONTH. SEVERAL RECORD HIGHS WERE BROKEN
INCLUDING THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH AT NORTH PLATTE.
THE LACK OF MOISTURE TO HELP GREEN UP THE GRASSES...RESULTED IN
NUMEROUS WILDFIRES ACROSS THE REGION DUE TO THE VERY DRY
CONDITIONS.

FOR NORTH PLATTE...THE AVERAGE DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH
WAS 43.5 DEGREES...WHICH WAS 5.5 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 38.0
DEGREES AND RANKED 11TH FOR WARMEST ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE DAILY
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS MORE APRIL LIKE AT 63.5 DEGREES AND A
STAGGERING 11.0 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 52.5 DEGREES. THIS
RANKS THIRD FOR WARMEST AVERAGE DAILY HIGHS BEHIND 1910 AND 2012.
THE AVERAGE DAILY LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 23.4 DEGREES...WHICH WAS
0.1 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 23.5 DEGREES. THIS IS SOMEWHAT
SURPRISING GIVEN THE ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS. THE REASON FOR LOWS SO
COLD...WAS DUE TO THE ABNORMALLY DRY SURFACE CONDITIONS WHICH
HEATED AND COOLED MORE EFFICIENTLY. THERE WERE 2 DAILY HIGH
RECORDS SET AT NORTH PLATTE DURING THE MONTH INCLUDING THE ALL
TIME RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH. ON MARCH 15 THE TEMPERATURE ROSE
TO 85 DEGREES...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 79 DEGREES SET IN
2013...2012...AND 1935. THE FOLLOWING DAY...ON MARCH 16...THE
TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 91 DEGREES...SHATTERING THE DAILY RECORD OF
82 DEGREES SET IN 2012. THIS 91 DEGREES ALSO SET THE RECORD FOR
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED DURING THE MONTH. THE PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS 88 DEGREES SET IN 1946 ON MARCH 31. THE HIGH OF 91
DEGREES ALSO SHATTERED THE RECORD FOR EARLIEST 90 PLUS
TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR THE FIRST 90
DEGREE OR WARMER DAY IN NORTH PLATTE WAS APRIL 8. DURING THE
MONTH NORTH PLATTE SAW A DIURNAL RANGE FROM THE LOW TO THE HIGH
OF 50 DEGREES OR MORE A TOTAL OF 8 TIMES. THIS TIED NOVEMBER OF
1999 FOR MOST DAYS WITH A DIURNAL RANGE OF 50 DEGREES OR MORE.
THE MOST FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH WAS 5 TIMES WHICH OCCUR DURING
MARCH OF 1997...1972 AND 1968.

FOR VALENTINE...THE AVERAGE DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH WAS
42.6 DEGREES AND RANKED 7TH FOR THE WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD. 42.6
DEGREES WAS 6.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 36.2 DEGREES. THE
AVERAGE DAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 60.5 DEGREES
WHICH WAS 11.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 49.3 DEGREES. THE
AVERAGE DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 24.7 DEGREES WHICH WAS 1.6
DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 23.1 DEGREES. A TOTAL OF 3
TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET DURING THE MONTH. THE FIRST RECORD
WAS SET ON MARCH 12 WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE OF 44 DEGREES. THIS
TIED THE 1900 RECORD FOR HIGHEST DAILY MINIMUM. THEN ON MARCH
15...THE LOW WAS ONLY 50 DEGREES AND THE HIGH WAS 84 DEGREES. THE
50 DEGREE LOW SET THE RECORD FOR HIGHEST DAILY
MINIMUM...SHATTERING THE 2003 LOW OF 39 DEGREES. THE 84 DEGREE
HIGH BROKE THE 1999 RECORD OF 76 DEGREES.

PRECIPITATION IN MARCH AT LEE BIRD FIELD IN NORTH PLATTE TOTALED
ONLY 0.01 INCHES...WHICH SET THE RECORD FOR THE DRIEST MARCH ON
RECORD. 1882 DID HOLD THE PREVIOUS RECORD WITH 0.04 INCHES. 0.01
INCHES WAS 1.04 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 1.05 INCHES. SNOWFALL
FOR NORTH PLATTE TOTALED 0.3 INCHES WHICH WAS 4.1 INCHES BELOW
THE NORMAL NORMAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH OF 4.4 INCHES. THREE
TENTHS OF AN INCH OF SNOWFALL RANKS 8TH FOR LEAST SNOWIEST MARCH
ON RECORD. NO PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE SET DURING THE MONTH.

VALENTINE PRECIPITATION TOTALED ONLY 0.03 INCHES AT MILLER FIELD
FOR THE MONTH AND WAS 1.04 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL 1.07 INCHES.
THIS RANKS AS THE SECOND DRIEST ON RECORD...WITH ONLY 1997 WITH
0.01 INCHES RECORDING LESS PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH.
SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH TOTALED ONLY 0.05 INCHES AND WAS 6.0
INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 6.5 INCHES. NO PRECIPITATION RECORDS
WERE SET DURING THE MONTH.

           NORTH PLATTE SUMMARY           VALENTINE SUMMARY
         | MAR 15 | NORM | DIFF  |    | MAR 15 | NORM | DIFF  |
AVG TEMP |  43.5  | 38.0 |  5.5  |    |  42.6  | 36.2 |  6.4  |
AVG HIGH |  63.5  | 52.5 | 11.0  |    |  60.5  | 49.3 | 11.2  |
AVG LOW  |  23.4  | 23.5 | -0.1  |    |  24.7  | 23.1 |  1.6  |
PRECIP   |  0.01  | 1.05 | -1.04 |    |  0.03  | 1.07 | -1.04 |
SNOW     |   0.3  |  4.4 | -4.1  |    |   0.5  |  6.5 | -6.0  |

...NORTH PLATTE AND VALENTINE PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR THE PAST
12 MONTHS...

APRIL 2014              0.64      3.05         -1.63     +0.83
MAY 2014                1.81      3.01         -1.47     -0.12
JUNE 2014               8.75      8.63         +5.33     +5.07
JULY 2014               0.14      0.58         -2.93     -2.63
AUGUST 2014             5.10      2.62         +2.81     +0.44
SEPTEMBER 2014          1.39      0.74         -0.02     -0.90
OCTOBER 2014            0.73      0.56         -0.82     -0.69
NOVEMBER 2014           0.08      0.55         -0.56     -0.10
DECEMBER 2014           1.04      0.90         +0.63     +0.53

JANUARY 2015            0.28      0.31         -0.06     +0.05
FEBRUARY 2015           0.46      0.31         -0.04     -0.17
MARCH 2015              0.01      0.03         -1.04     -1.04

TOTALS                 20.43     21.29         +0.20     +1.27