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.