March 2012 - Remember The Warmest Month on Record?

Fourteen years ago we were at the end of the warmest March stretch in northern Ohio.

Most of the middle of the US experienced the same record setting warmth.

It was also the warmest March on record for the entire Ohio Valley region.

The first week of March featured little of the pattern that would quickly develop. We had a few inches of snow with 2-3" on the ground five days before the beginning of the record setting warmth.

Ridge of high pressure began to develop by the second week.

By week three, the ridge was anonymously large and encompassed the eastern half of the US and Canada.

By week four, it started to weaken but was still formattable.

Here's a different look at the upper level pattern for the middle two weeks of March. The ridge east and the abnormally strong trough across western North America and into Alaska.

The result was the warmest March on record especially across the eastern US.

Close up look at the temperatures shows the only spots with near normal or slightly below normal temps was the west coast.

Will March 2026 eclipse the 2012 average US temperature record? We are well on our way.

 

How Baseball Has Changed - Part III of III

 Starting Pitching:

Balls In Play Results:

Singles, Doubles and Triples Per Plate Appearance Last 30 Seasons

Singles, Doubles, Triples with Runners In Scoring Position Per Plate Appearance

Percent of Plate Appearances Resulting In Balls In Play

Percent of Plate Appearances Resulting In An RBI with RISP

Pitches Per Plate Appearance

Runs Per Plate Appearance

Swings and Contact

Swing and Contact Percent Inside Strike Zone

                                           Swing and Contact Percent Outside & Inside Strike Zone

Swing and Contact Percent Outside Zone

League Swing and Miss Percent. (Swing and Miss Per Total Pitches)

All Swings (%) Location and Pitch Type

Total MLB Swings and Misses

How Baseball Has Changed - Part II of III

Have the changes in baseball over the last 10-15 years created more offense?

Players are more productive if they swing at the first pitch. After a drop off in the early 2010s and a brief rise through 2019, first swing slugging is at mid 1990s levels.

The difference between first pitch slugging and taking first pitch slugging began to widen in the 2000s. A sign that if you are more aggressive first pitch, more good things happen.

Slugging percentage with runners in scoring position dropped off in the early 2010s then stabilized at late 1990s levels.

What about flyballs?  Slugging percentage started rising in the mid 2000s with a sharp jump after 2015 then a drop since 2020 to mid 2010 levels. Overall flyballs are resulting in more 2B/3B/HRs.

Significant increases in flyball slugging percentages of pulled balls peaking around 2020 then dropping off over the last 5 seasons to 2012 levels.

Opposite field flyball slugging was fairly flat between 2005 and 2015 as pulled flyball slugging rose. Between 2015 and 2020, oppo flyball slugging rose then fell back to 2004/2006 levels.

How about when the batter is ahead in the count?  Interestingly, slugging fell from 2000 to 2015 (brief jump 2015-2020) with levels back to 2015 levels since.

Slugging percentage after two strikes was steady from 1995 to 2005 then fell until 2015. Levels remain steady since 2015 after a small rise around 2020.

Plate appearances that result in a run when runners are in scoring position dropped in the mid 2010s then rose back to early 2000s levels.

Percentage of homeruns with runners in scoring position per plate appearance jumped around 2015 and leveled off last 4 seasons.

How Baseball Has Changed in 30 Charts - Part I of II

Baseball has gone through changes over the last generation.  The increase in data availability gives us insight on some of these changes. Below is a multitude of charts attempting to illustrate these changes. All data from Baseball-reference and Fangraphs.  All data represents MLB league wide. Part I features general offense and overall pitching.

How Does This Winter Compare To Last Winter So Far?

Winter technically didn't begin until December 21.  Yet the winter cold and snow started long before the solstice as it usually does.  This year has a bit different as it was continuously cold for longer (Thanksgiving to December 15) than in any early winter since 1958!

December cold was widespread across the northern and eastern parts of the US.  Well above normal west.

Snowfall has been well above normal across these areas:

Locally across northern Ohio, snowfall is at levels (through the first of year) unseen since 2021.

Seasonal Snowfall through January 1, 2025

Seasonal Snowfall through January 1, 2026

What Year Featured the Most Snow On Christmas?

I remember Christmas of 1982 fondly. Warmest ever in northern Ohio!

It's been a few years since I updated the Christmas Weather History Chart. Hard to believe it's been 6 years since we had significant snow on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. 

How often do we see snow on Christmas?  Here is the breakdown: