Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
664
CXUS51 KBUF 020948
CLMBUF
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
903 AM EDT TUE APR 01 2025
...................................
...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2025...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2025
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 82 03/21/2012
LOW -7 03/08/1984
HIGHEST 76 03/19 72 03/04
03/05
LOWEST 10 03/02 16 03/22
AVG. MAXIMUM 50.8 41.8 9.0 48.6
AVG. MINIMUM 29.8 26.4 3.4 32.9
MEAN 40.3 34.1 6.2 40.8
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 1 6.4 -5.4 2
DAYS MIN <= 32 20 22.7 -2.7 13
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.3 -0.3 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 7.03 1936
MINIMUM 0.68 1910
TOTALS 1.85 2.89 -1.04 2.11
DAYS >= .01 13 17
DAYS >= .10 5 9
DAYS >= .50 1 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.58 03/05 TO 03/05 0.36 03/14 TO 03/15
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 38.5 1936
TOTALS 1.2 14.1 -12.9 11.2
SINCE 7/1 77.2 92.9 -15.7
SNOWDEPTH AVG. T 1
DAYS >= 1.0 0 3.6 -3.6 4
DAYS >= 0.1 3 7
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH MM 6 03/23
24 HR TOTAL 0.7 03/26 TO 03/26
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 758 958 -200 744
SINCE 7/1 5034 5576 -542 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 12.5
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/190
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 55/240 DATE 03/06
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 9
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 17
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 62
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 2 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 15 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 12 SLEET 0
FOG 9 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0
HAZE 6
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
... DRY AND WARM MONTH OF MARCH, LACKING MUCH SNOWFALL ...
MARCH CAME IN LIKE A LION THIS YEAR, AND GUSTY WINDS REMAINED
THROUGH THE MONTH WITH THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH ABOVE
NORMAL. IT WAS A MILD MONTH AS WELL, WHICH LIMITED THE ACCUMULATION
OF SNOW. THE MONTH ALSO FEATURED RATHER DRY CONDITIONS WITH THE
TOTAL RAINFALL WELL BELOW NORMAL.
THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 40.3F THIS MONTH WHICH IS TIED FOR 10TH
WARMEST ON RECORD. THE CORE OF ANOMALOUS WARMTH THIS MONTH OCCURRED
RIGHT BEFORE THE ASTRONOMICAL START OF SPRING, WITH 3 DAYS TOPPING
THE 75 DEGREE MARK BEFORE MARCH 20TH. IN FACT, THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME THERE HAVE BEEN 3 DAYS 75F OR WARMER BEFORE THE START OF
ASTRONOMICAL SPRING. TWO OF THESE DATES ALSO SET RECORD MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURES, WITH THE 75F READING ON THE 16TH BREAKING THE RECORD
OF 70F SET BACK IN 1990, AND THE 76F DEGREE READING ON THE 19TH
BREAKING THE RECORD OF 74 SET BACK IN 2012. THERE WERE 9 DAYS
AVERAGING BELOW THEIR DAILY AVERAGE, WHILE 21 DAYS AVERAGED ABOVE
THEIR DAILY AVERAGE. IT WAS A COLD START TO THE MONTH WITH THE 10F
READING ON THE 2ND THE LOWEST MARCH TEMPERATURE SINCE MARCH OF 2019
WHEN THE THERMOMETER DIPPED TO 6 DEGREES.
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TOTALED 1.85 INCHES WHICH IS NEARLY AN
INCH BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. THE BULK OF THIS PRECIPITATION FELL
WITHIN 3 EVENTS, A SYNOPTIC SYSTEM OF RAIN ON THE 4TH, THUNDERSTORMS
ON THE 16TH AND COLD RAIN ALONG A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY THE 28TH-
30TH. THE 13 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION ARE 3 DAYS LESS THAN
THE LONG TERM MEAN FOR THE MONTH. SNOW WAS LACKING THIS MILD MONTH
WITH JUST 1.2 INCHES ACCUMULATING. THIS RANKS 9TH LEAST SNOWIEST
MONTH FOR BUFFALO. SNOW DEPTH FOR THE MONTH WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A
TRACE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND.
A COLD FRONT PLOWED ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK TO START THE MONTH OF
MARCH, WITH BRISK WESTERLY WINDS DRIVING CLUSTERS OF LIGHT SNOW
ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. LATE WINTER`S CHILL REMAINED THROUGH THE
3RD BEFORE A VERY DEEP STORM SYSTEM FEATURING NEAR RECORD LOW
PRESSURE INTENSITY FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR TRACKED ACROSS THE CENTRAL
PLAINS AND THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES ON THE 4TH. A SURGE OF MILD AIR
AHEAD OF THIS STORM SYSTEM SENT THE TEMPERATURE WELL INTO THE 50S ON
THE 4TH AND THE YEAR`S FIRST 60F READING ON THE 5TH. THIS STORM
SYSTEM BROUGHT AN ALL DAY SOAKING RAINFALL TO WESTERN NEW YORK ON
THE 5TH WITH RAINFALL TOTALS AROUND A HALF AN INCH. THE RAIN AND
SNOWMELT SWELLED AREA CREEKS AND RIVERS TO BANK FULL ON THE 5TH,
THOUGH ICE JAM FLOODING WAS MINOR WITH MUCH OF THE ICE FLUSHED FROM
THE CREEKS AND RIVERS JUST BEFORE THEY SWELLED. FOLLOWING THIS
SYSTEM QUIET WEATHER PREVAILED RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE
MONTH. THOUGH THERE WERE LIGHT FLURRIES AND SPRINKLES ON THE 6TH
THROUGH THE 9TH, PRECIPITATION WAS LACKING. THE FIRST WIDESPREAD
SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OCCURRED ON SUNDAY THE 16TH. THUNDERSTORMS
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON PRODUCE WIND DAMAGE FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER
NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE GENESEE VALLEY AND FINGER LAKES REGION. A
SIGNIFICANT DROP IN TEMPERATURES FROM THE 16TH TO THE 17TH WITH THE
THERMOMETER FALLING FROM A 75F READING ON THE 16TH DOWN TO A HIGH OF
JUST 39F ON THE 17TH. A FEW FLURRIES OF SNOW STARTED THE THIRD WEEK
OF THE MONTH. ON THE 24TH STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS REMAINED DEEP
THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS, WITH A PEAK GUST OF 51 MPH AT THE BUFFALO
AIRPORT. THIS WAS THE THIRD DAY THIS MONTH WITH A DAILY AVERAGE WIND
SPEED TOPPING 20 MPH. A CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW PASSED OVER WESTERN
NEW YORK ON THE 26TH WITH BURSTS OF SNOW QUICKLY COATING THE GROUND,
TO ONLY BE MELTED SOON AFTER WITH THE REEMERGENCE OF SUNSHINE. AN
ACTIVE FINAL 4 DAYS OF THE MONTH FEATURED A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY
OVER WESTERN NEW YORK THE 28TH THROUGH THE 30TH. INTERVALS OF RAIN
STARTING THE LATE AFTERNOON OF THE 28TH BECAME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF THE 29TH INTO THE 30S, WITH A TENTH OF
AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATING IN NIAGARA COUNTY, AND UPWARDS TO A
QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATING IN THE METRO ROCHESTER AREA.
THE TEMPERATURE REMAINED JUST A DEGREE OR TWO ABOVE FREEZING FOR THE
BUFFALO METRO AREA, WITH NO REPORTS OF FREEZING RAIN. A GUSTY LINE
OF SHOWERS OCCURRED EARLY ON THE 31ST, THIS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT
THAT PUSHED ITS WAY ACROSS NEW YORK STATE.
ICE ON LAKE ERIE RETREATED TO JUST THE ERIE COUNTY SHORELINE BY THE
END OF THE MONTH. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME ICE REMAINED OFF THE
BUFFALO SHORELINE THROUGH THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MARCH SINCE 2019.
WINDS AVERAGED 12.5 MILES PER HOUR WHICH IS OVER A MILE PER HOUR
GREATER THAN NORMAL. THIS IS THE FIRST MONTH THAT FEATURED WINDS
AVERAGING MORE THAN A MILE PER HOUR GREATER THAN THEIR RESPECTIVE
MONTHLY NORMAL SINCE JUNE 2021. THE STRONGEST GUST OCCURRED ON THE
6TH WITH 55 MPH RECORDED DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.
IN ALL A TYPICAL EARLY SPRING MONTH, FEATURING MILD BREEZES AND
LACKING MUCH SNOW.
&&
THOMAS
$$