Top Ten Warmest March on Record

The average temperatures for March 2016 across central and northeast South Dakota as well as west central Minnesota were much above normal with all locations having one of their top ten warmest March’s on record.  The average monthly temperatures for March were from 6 to 10 degrees above normal (shown in the graphic below).  Just four years ago in 2012, March was the warmest on record with average monthly temperatures an astounding 12 to 15 degrees above normal (shown in the graphic below).   For comparison, the highs for March 2016 at all locations were in the 70s with 80s for highs in March 2012 with some locations in 2012 setting all-time record highs for the month.  For March 2016, Mobridge had their second warmest month on record with Watertown having their third warmest on record.  Aberdeen had their fourth warmest March on record with Sisseton and Wheaton, Minnesota having their fifth warmest. All locations set several record daily highs in March along with several record low maximums with all of the records occurring before the 15^th of the month.  The record low maximums were in the upper 30s and 40s. In fact, Watertown only cooled to 47 degrees on March 13^th, which is 10 degrees warmer than the previous record and almost 30 degrees above the normal low.

The region was also generally dry in March with precipitation amounts varying from a quarter of an inch at Watertown to an inch and a third at Pierre.  The departure from average precipitation across the region ranged from a tenth of an inch above normal at Pierre to over an inch below normal at Wheaton, Minnesota (shown in the graphic below).  Snowfall amounts across the region were generally below 2 inches in March, with the heaviest snow occurring in central South Dakota.  Pierre also received heavy rain on March 9^th with just over eight tenths of an inch along with some rare thunder.   Another interesting point for March is that Aberdeen failed to measure more than a trace of snow depth which is something that has only happened six other times since 1940.